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Hayes & Dand Ancestors and related families - House of Rurik (Rurikids) - Medieval Rulers of Kievan (Kyivan) Rus (Ukraine and Western Russia)
Statue of Saint Olga (Helena) - Patroness Saint of Widows and Converts
(Feast Day - July 11)
Statue of Saint Olga (in St. Michael’s Square, Kiev (Kyiv), Ukraine) - with St. Andrew on the left (who predicted that a great city would be built on the local hills - now Kiev) and St. Cyril and St. Methodius on the right (who became missionaries of Christianity among the Slavic peoples - the “Apostles to the Slavs”).
The original statues were erected in 1911 and then knocked down and buried (c.1919) during the Ukraine War of Independence. Replica statues were made out of Carrara Marble and erected almost eight decades later in 1996 (Note - the marble originated from the same Italian marble quarries that Michelangelo used). The damaged remains of the original statues can apparently be seen below St. Andrew’s Church on St. Andrew’s descent.
Princess Olga was baptized c.957 in Constantinople (now Istanbul). Her efforts to bring Christianity to Kievan (Kyivan) Rus were continued by her Grandson - Saint Vladimir (Volodymyr).
Image of original Statue of Saint Olga.
Saint Olga (Helena) - Patroness Saint of Widows and Converts
(Feast Day - July 11)
Princess Olga (Helena) (died 969) - wife of Igor, Grand Prince of Kiev (Kyiv) (died c.945) (Rurik Dynasty).
Princess Olga ruled Kievan (Kyivan) Rus as Regent (c.945-c.963) on behalf of their son Sviatoslav I, Grand Prince of Kiev (Kyiv) (c.943-972) - and was the first recorded woman to rule Kievan (Kyivan) Rus.
Saint Olga (Helena) was a Grandmother of Saint Vladimir (died 1015), Patron Saint of Ukraine and Russia.
Images of Princess Olga and The Order of Princess Olga - Granted to women for "personal merits in state, production, scientific, educational, cultural, charity and other spheres of social activities, for upbringing children in families”.
Baptism of Vladimir (Volodymyr) “The Great”, Grand Prince of Kiev c.988
The c.988 Baptism is considered the enduring start of the Christianization of Kievan (Kyivan) Rus.
Image of artist impression of the baptism.
House of Rurik - and the former Church of the Tithes, Kiev (Kyiv), Ukraine
The original Church of the Tithes was built by Vladimir (Volodymyr) “The Great”, Grand Prince of Kiev between 989 and 996 and was the first stone church in Kiev.
Grand Prince Vladimir had the remains of his Grandmother - Saint Olga - reburied in the Church and later his remains were also buried in the Church along with several other members of the House of Rurik.
The Church was destroyed and rebuilt several times due to wars and fires. The most recent Church was destroyed by the Soviet Union authorities in 1935. Today all that remains is a ground level floor plan of the foundations of the original Church - located in front of the National Museum of History of Ukraine and near St. Andrew’s Church.
Apparently some of the buried remains were reburied in other Churches - and today only a few small bone relics of Saint Vladimir exist and have occasionally been on tour across Ukraine, other Slavic Countries, and North America in recent years. It is not clear whether any of the remains of Saint Olga or other House of Rurik family members have survived over the years.
Images of Church of the Tithes foundation floor plan and artist impression of the possible appearance of the original Church.
House of Rurik - and Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kiev (Kyiv), Ukraine
The Cathedral is believed to have been founded in 1011 by Vladimir (Volodymyr) “The Great”, Grand Prince of Kiev (died 1015) - and was named after the Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) Cathedral in Constantinople (now Istanbul).
House of Rurik burials include Yaroslav/Iaroslav I “The Wise”, Grand Prince of Kiev (died 1054) (son of Vladimir “The Great”) & his wife Ingegerd/Ingigerd Olafsdottir of Sweden (died 1050).
The Cathedral is part of the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Ukraine - Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
Image of Saint Sophia Cathedral.
Saint Vladimir (Volodymyr) - Patron Saint of Ukraine and Russia
(Feast Day - July 15)
Vladimir "The Great", Grand Prince of Kiev (Kyiv) (died 1015) (Rurik Dynasty)
Saint Vladimir was a Grandson of Saint Olga (Helena) (died 969),
Patroness Saint of Widows and Converts (Feast Day - July 11).
Images of Statue of Saint Vladimir (Volodymyr) in Kyiv (Kiev), Ukraine.
House of Rurik - and Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra
The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Monastery was founded in 1051 during the reign of Yaroslav/Iaroslav I “The Wise”, Grand Prince of Kiev (died 1054). This is also the year Grand Prince Yaroslav had Hilarion of Kiev proclaimed the Metropolitan Bishop of Kiev (the first non-Greek in the post).
The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Monastery is part of the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Ukraine - Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
Images of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
Yaroslav I “The Wise”, Grand Prince of Kiev and Three of His Children.
Images of artist impressions of Grand Prince Yaroslav I and Three of his Children - Princess Anastasia who married Andras I and became Queen of Hungary, Princess Anna/Anne who married Henri I and became Queen of France, and Vsevolod I, Grand Prince of Kiev.
House of Rurik - and the Coat of Arms of Ukraine
In 1992 the Princely State Symbol of Volodymyr (Vladimir) the Great (Tryzub) was adopted as the official Coat of Arms of Ukraine. The use of a blue & yellow flag dates back to the 12th Century.
Images of Ukrainian Flag & Coat of Arms, Statue of St. Vladimir, seal-trydent of Vladimir “The Great”, woman carrying Ukrainian flag, man playing a bandura, poet Taras Shevchenko, and rural scenes.
House of Rurik - Kievan (Kyivan) Princesses on Thrones of Europe - 11th & 12th Century
Images of artist impression of 11th & 12th Century Kievan (Kyivan) Princess who became Queens of France, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Hungary, Holy Roman Empress, and Empress of the Byzantine Empire.
Other Images grouped by theme
Sites in Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Middle East, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City State ...
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