Saint Olga of Kyiv Medal Necklace – Patron Saint of Widows & Converts

Saint Olga of Kyiv, Patron Saint of Widows and Converts

Olga was born around 890, likely of Viking descent, and married Igor, Prince of Kyiv, while still young. When Igor was assassinated by a rival tribe, Olga was left to rule as regent for her young son, and she answered his death with a severe and decisive response, an episode that has been retold, and often embellished, across nearly a thousand years of chronicles. What came after mattered far more to her lasting legacy. Years later, Olga traveled to Constantinople, where she was baptized into Christianity, reportedly by the Byzantine emperor himself. She returned home a changed ruler, building churches and working to bring Christianity to her people, even though her own son never adopted her new faith in his lifetime. That work wasn't wasted: her grandson, Vladimir the Great, would later oversee the mass conversion of the Rus' people, a legacy Olga had spent her final decades quietly laying the groundwork for. She died in 969, and the Church later honored her with the rare title "Equal to the Apostles," recognizing a missionary impact that rivaled the apostles themselves. She is venerated in both the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions, and remains especially revered in Ukraine to this day.

A Gift For...

• A widow, or anyone rebuilding a life alone after profound loss
• A convert, or someone who came to their faith later in life, through hardship rather than despite it
• A woman in a position of leadership or authority
• Anyone of Ukrainian heritage
• A confirmation candidate drawn to a saint whose faith reshaped generations after her

A Confirmation Gift for Olga

For a confirmation candidate who came to faith through a hard road rather than an easy one, Olga offers real, historic proof that a difficult past doesn't disqualify a meaningful future. Engrave a name and confirmation date, and let her legacy carry the meaning.

The Saint Olga Medal

This medal depicts her crowned as princess, holding a cross and a model of a church, a reflection of her role in bringing Christianity to her people, her halo radiating outward against an ornate patterned border. The natural gold or silver of the metal forms the illustration itself. Black ink is applied to the pendant surface and the metal shows through as the image. A shatterproof liquid glass coating seals the surface. The result has a depth and precision that printed medals don't achieve.

Personalization and Engraving

The optional engraving on the reverse is rendered in Tangerine cursive, two lines, up to 20 characters each. Many choose a name and a conversion or confirmation date, or simply her name alone.

Saint Olga's feast day is July 11, and more than a thousand years after her death, she remains one of the small handful of saints in Church history given the rare title Equal to the Apostles, a woman whose faith outlived her by generations before it ever truly took root.

Related Devotions for Widows and Converts

• For Widows and Difficult Circumstances: Pair with the Saint Adelaide of Burgundy Medal, patroness of abuse survivors, widows, and second marriages.
• For a Late-Found Faith: Explore the Saint Helena Medal, patroness of converts who came to Christianity later in life.
• For Evangelism and Conversion: Discover the Saint Photini Medal, another saint honored with the rare title Equal to the Apostles.