Princess Olga Monument — Attraction in Kyiv

The monument to Princess Olga, the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called and the educators Cyril and Methodius is a monument in Kyiv, located on St. Michael's Square next to St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral. The composition consists of three marble sculptures on a granite pedestal: in the center is the figure of Princess Olga, on the left - the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, on the right are the educators Cyril and Methodius. The monument was solemnly consecrated and unveiled on September 4 (17), 1911. Its authors were sculptors Ivan Kavaleridze, Petro Snytkin and architect Valerian Rykov. In 1919, vandals demolished the sculpture of Princess Olga, and by 1935 the monument was completely dismantled. In 1996, the monument was restored. The authors of the reconstruction are sculptors Vitaliy Sivko, Mykola Bilyk and...

Saint Olga was a regent of Kyivan Rus for her son Svyatoslav from 945 until 960. Due to the imperfect transliteration between the Old East Slavic and the English, the name Olga is synonymous with Olha. Because of her Varangian  origin, she also is known in Old Norse as Saint Helga. She is known for her obliteration of the Drevlians, a tribe that had killed her husband Igor of Kyiv. Even though it would be her grandson Volodymyr that would convert the entire nation to Christianity, her efforts to spread Christianity through the Rus’ earned Olga...

Grand Duchess Olga ruled Kiev in the middle of the 10th century. She was one of the first in Russia to adopt Christianity, and later the Orthodox Russian church ranked her as a saint. According to the legend, the Apostle Andrew the First-Called from this place (St. Michael’s Square) pointed to the Kiev mountains and said prophetic words: God's grace will shine here. Cyril and Methodius Slavs owe writing. Kavaleridze brilliantly foresaw the tremendous spiritual power of just such a combination of legendary...