СВЯТА РІВНОАПОСТОЛЬНА ОЛЬГА: АНАЛІЗ ДЕРЖАВНОГО СТАТУСУ ТА ВПЛИВ ЇЇ НА ПОШИРЕННЯ ХРИСТИЯНСТВА В КИЇВСЬКІЙ РУСІ

On July 24, Christians commemorate the 1052th anniversary of the bright memory of St. Olga, the educator of Rus’-Ukraine. This study is designed to clarify the status of St. Olga as the ruler of the medieval state and her influence on the spread of Christianity. The article is dedicated to St. Olga, who is characterized on the basis of existing nowadays sources from Rus’. Studies of this issue by Ukrainian and Russian scholars are considered. It should be noted that this scientific investigation is one of the attempts to study the issue of the international state status of St. Olga and the influence on the spread of Christianity in Kyivan Rus’, and therefore the presented historical issues need more detailed further research. The urgency of the chosen problem is due to the fact that past and modern Russian historiography appropriates the person of St. Olga, calling her a “Russian duchess”. The same applies to St. Volodymyr and his descendants on the throne of Kyiv. Formulation of the problem. The All-Ukrainian Conference “Orthodoxy in Ukraine” in 2021 observes the participation of Christian women in spreading the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ in the world, so the figure of St. Olga is the most important in the Christianization of our Ukrainian lands. Analysis of recent research and publications: secular and ecclesiastical researchers have dealt with the presented issues. Ukrainian and Russian church researchers dealt with this issue: N. Vereshchagina, E. Golubinskyi, D. Hordiienko, M. Iosyfchuk, M. Marchenko, N. Nikitenko, A. Podvolotskyi, N. Talberg, F. Uspenskyi, and other. Historical sources and personal opinions of Ukrainian and Russian schplars are presented in the article. This article requires more detailed research in bachelor’s and master’s theses of various institutions in Ukraine and abroad. The purpose of the article: to analyze the state status and her influence as a ruler on the spread of Christianity in Rus’. The study of the purpose of the research provides solutions to the following problems: 1. To indicate the state status of St. Olga. 2. To specify the role and significance of St. Olga in the spread of Christianity in our lands. 3. To find out the features of mentions of St. Olga in ancient written sources. Keywords: Kyivan Rus’, St. Olga, equal-to-the-Apostles, Christianity, status, kagan hakan, grand duchess.