Description of the attraction
During the celebration of the 1100th anniversary of the first mention of Pskov in the chronicle data, two monuments to the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga appeared in the city at once: the first - not far from the Rizhskaya hotel, on Rizhsky Prospect, the other in the Children's Park, on October Square. The Russian Academy of Arts offered the local leadership to install a sculpture of the Grand Duchess Olga in the city. This is how the first monument made by the famous sculptor Zurab Tsereteli appeared in Pskov. The creator presented the Grand Duchess as a stern warrior. Olga's right hand rests on the sword, her left hand is on the shield. Not everyone liked this image, but Olga Zurabovskaya quite fit into the architecture of modern Pskov.
The second monument was the creation of the famous sculptor Vyacheslav Klykov. The idea of creating a monument heralds not only the historical, but also the spiritual, and, in a sense, the genealogy of the Orthodox faith in Russia. In this case, it was faith that became the basis of the fortress of the entire Russian people, as well as the source of physical and spiritual strength - for this reason, on the pedestal, the Grand Duchess Olga protects and at the same time blesses Prince Vladimir, who has become the future ruler and Baptist of all Russia; Prince Vladimir depicted on the monument holds in his hands the image of the Savior's face.
In height, the sculpture rises to 4.5 meters - the same height has a complex cylindrical pedestal, on which various kinds of reliefs with images of saints are placed. Not far from the monument there is a memorial stone on which the names of citizens who donated money for the erection of the monument are carved.
The monument to Princess Olga and her grandson - the future Prince Vladimir, as well as the twelve patrons of the city of Pskov, reminds of those people who laid the foundation for the formation and development of Russian statehood, as well as those who gave life to the Orthodox faith and staunchly defended the freedom of the city of Pskov.
As you know, Olga was the wife of Prince Igor of Kiev and the mother of Prince Svyatoslav. It was Olga who was the first of the entire princely family to decide to convert to Christianity. Olga was born in Vybuty, which is not far from Pskov. Olga was reputed from a simple family. Prince Igor met the future princess during a hunt, drawing attention to the extraordinary beauty of the girl who transported him to the other side of the river. As soon as it came to marry, the prince immediately remembered Olga and invited her to become his wife - this is how an ordinary girl became one of the Russian princesses.
In addition, it is known that Olga became the founder of the Trinity Cathedral. After the death of Prince Igor, Olga assumed control of Kievan Rus and suppressed the famous uprising of the Drevlyans. Olga was the first in Russia to establish a special system of taxes, to divide the Russian lands into volosts. On the territory of the Novgorod land, during the reign of Princess Olga, camps and graveyards were created at the intersection of trade routes, which significantly strengthened the Kiev state from the north-western side. The famous princess always believed that it was not enough for the ruler to make decisions only in favor of state life, but it was worth paying attention to the spiritual and religious life of the people. It was thanks to Olga's efforts that the Pskov fortress was largely fortified. The name of the princess was immortalized on the Pskov land not only in topographic but also geographical names - the embankment, the bridge and the newly restored chapel were named in her honor. Now active work is underway to revive the so-called Olginsky places.
On the monument to the Great Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, images of the Pskov saints are immortalized: Prince Vladimir, who ruled Novgorod, and since 980, Kiev; Vsevolod-Gabriel - the son of the famous prince Mstislav and the grandson of Vladimir Monomakh; Alexander Nevsky - son of Prince Yaroslav and great-grandson of Vladimir Monomakh; Prince Dovmont-Timofey, who came from a family of Lithuanian princes and fled from Lithuania to Pskov; Martha of Pskov - the reverend princess, who was the daughter of Dmitry Alexandrovich and the granddaughter of Alexander Nevsky, as well as the wife of Prince Dovmont-Timofey; Vassa Pskovo-Pecherskaya - the wife of the first founder of the Pskov-Pechersk monastery, namely John Shestnik; Cornelius of Pskov-Pechersky - abbot of the monastery of the same name; Nikandr the desert dweller - the Monk Nikon, who settled in the desert near a small river and leads a hermitic life; Nikolay Salos - better known as Saint Mikula; Princess Elizabeth Feodorovna, a holy martyr from the German city of Darmstadt; Saint Tikhon - Moscow Patriarch; Metropolitan Benjamin or Vasily Pavlovich Kazansky, born in a priest's family in 1874.
