Women in the Russian Orthodox Tradition

There are some feisty, feisty women in the Russian Orthodox tradition. Here is one from the long,long ago. To-morrow, I will have one from more modern times - and noted, even though she was wearing, a nun's habit, for smoking!!!

‎Elijah Borek‎ to Ask About The Orthodox Faith

Yesterday at 05:31 · 

St Olga Equal to the Apostles

Saint Olga, renowned for her wisdom and sobriety, in her youth became the wife of Igor, Great Prince of Kiev, who ruled during the tenth century. After her husband's death, she herself ruled capably, and was finally moved to accept the Faith of Christ. She traveled to Constantinople to receive Holy Baptism. The Emperor, seeing her outward beauty and inward greatness, asked her to marry him. She said she could not do this before she was baptized; she furthermore asked him to be her Godfather at the font, which he agreed to do. After she was baptized (receiving the name of Helen), the Emperor repeated his proposal of marriage. She answered that now he was her father, through holy Baptism, and that not even among the heathen was it heard of a man marrying his daughter. Gracefully accepting to be outwitted by her, he sent her back to her land with priests and sacred texts and holy icons. Although her son Svyatoslav remained a pagan, she planted the seed of faith in her grandson Vladimir (St Vladimir Equal to the Apostles), the Baptizer of Rus'.

Saint Olga left our world in 969. Prince Vladimir placed her incorrupt relics in the Desyatinnaia cathedral. It was the first time that sacred relics were revealed in Russia. Later (before the Mongol invasion) God glorified the relics of the Princess Olga with miracles and she was canonized a saint.