Древняя Русь и Скандинавия: Избранные труды

It is only some time after Igor’s death that his widow Ol’ga showed interest in the new faith. Under the year 6463 from the Creation which corresponds to 954/5 AD the «Primary Chronicle» tells that she undertook a voyage to Constantinople where she is said to be baptized by Emperor Constantine VII who became her godfather[1417]. She received a Christian name of Helena «after the ancient Empress, mother of Constantine the Great» and, probably, after the Empress Helena Lakapina.

The narration about Ol’ga’s baptism is greatly influenced by the annalist’s unreserved admiration of her deed. He stresses that she was the first Russian ruler to adopt the true faith and thus anticipated the Christianization of the whole country by her grandson Vladimir. The annalist puts a laudation of Ol’ga into the mouth of the Patriarch:

Blessed art thou among the women of Rus’. For thou hast loved the light, and quit the darkness. The sons of Rus’ shall bless thee to the last generation of thy descendents.

The same motifs permeate the eulogy of Ol’ga following the report of her death under the year of 969. In the annalist’s representation of early Russian history Ol’ga appears a crucial, probably symbolic figure, the harbinger of the fates of the Old Russian state.

According to his conception, the annalist interpreted Ol’ga’s visit to Constantinople as a voyage in order to join to Christianity. The same interpretation is maintained by most of modern scholars who argue that the main goal of Ol’ga’s travel was a religious one.

Several minor discrepancies were, however, pointed out and raised discussions. One of them is the silence of Constantine VII about the baptism of Ol’ga during her stay in Constantinople though he described two receptions given to her at the Byzantine court in many details in his treatise «De cerimoniis»[1418]. Constantine depicts several magnificent ceremonies that where aimed at both to honor Ol’ga as a ruler of a neighbouring state important for Byzantine foreign policy and to impress the barbarian princess with the luxury and splendour of the Byzantine court. Constantine also enumerates the gifts granted to Ol’ga and her suite. In this context the absence of mentions about an event of paramount importance for Byzantium – religious incorporation of a dangerous neighbour into the Byzantine commonwealth with possible political consequences – as well as a great success of Byzantine diplomacy seems strange and unexplainable[1419].

Among other members of Ol’ga’s suite who were bestowed with gifts Constantine names a priest, Gregorius by name. The presence of a priest in Ol’ga’s nearest surroundings who must have come to Constantinople together with her from Kiev made specialists wonder if Ol’ga could have become a Christian earlier in Kiev[1420]. There is no doubt that baptism was accessible in Kiev where there were many Christians in the princely retinue and the church of St. Elias had been functioning since 945. It seems probable that Ol’ga was converted and became a Christian some time before her visit to Constantinople. Her conversion then must have been inspired by Christians among the Kievan elite that still consisted mostly of Varangians.

The assumption that Ol’ga was baptized in Kiev is further corroborated by the narration about the events after Ol’ga’s return from Constantinople:

The Greek Emperor sent a message to her saying, «inasmuch as I bestowed many gifts upon you, you promised me that on your return to Rus’ you would sent me many presents of slaves, wax, and furs, and dispatch soldiery to aid me». Ol’ga made answer to the envoys that if the Emperor would spend as long a time with her in the Pochayna [river] as she had remained on the Bosporus, she would grant his request. With these words she dismissed the envoys[1421].

The passage points to at least two things that contradict the annalist’s presentation of the aims of Ol’ga’s voyage and most probably reflect relations other than stated in the chronicle. The first point is the demand of the Byzantine Emperor to send warriors to him according to their agreement in Constantinople. The exchange of gifts and especially the rendering of military aid[1422] must have been the results of political negotiations.