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St. Olga of Kyiv (also spelled Kiev) was the first woman to rule Kievan Rus', an empire in the land that is now part of Ukraine, Russia, and other eastern European countries, after her husband was assassinated by members of a nearby tribe who had once served as allies. Olga is especially famous for her brutal revenge against her husband's killers, including burning down their village by sending messenger pigeons carrying embers back to their homes, though her conversion to Christianity would occur later, when she was visiting Constantinople. Following her conversion, Olga tried to convert her son, now emperor of Kievan Rus' since he had come of age, but he had no respect for her faith. Still, her efforts convinced him to disallow persecution of Christian converts in the empire, which would pave the way for future conversion efforts. Lifetime:  ?? to 969 Region:  Kievan Rus' (Modern Ukraine) Patronages:  Widows; Converts; Ukraine Iconograpy: Empress attire; Cross; Pigeon...

St. Helena is famous for many things, one of the premier of which is being the mother of Emperor Constantine I, the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity and in many ways the progenitor of the so-called "Holy Roman Empire".  However, St. Helena's accolades go much further than being a mother to one of the most influential figures in history. She is also credited with discovering the relic of the True Cross on which Jesus was executed, as well as (according to various accounts) several other relics including the nails of the crucifixion, the holy tunic, and the rope that tied Christ to the cross. Helena was instrumental in founding churches at several holy sites, including the believed sites of the Nativity, the Ascension, and the Crucifixion of Jesus as well as the Burning Bush where Moses spoke to God. And for lovers of cats, according to tradition Helena imported hundreds of cats to Cyprus to solve a local snake problem, and is the reason for the Cyprus cat br...