Kiev, September 1, 2026
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His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine led the Divine Liturgy at the Ascension Florovsky Convent in Kiev on August 31, marking the feast of the holy martyrs Florus and Laurus. During the service, the Church held the glorification of Blessed Olga of Kiev-Florovsky (Kochanovskaya), a 20th-century fool for Christ.
Metropolitan Onuphry concelebrated with several hierarchs, along with clergy of the convent and visiting guests. Sisters of the convent prayed alongside their abbess, Igumena Evlampia (Eliseikina), reports the Information-Education Department of the UOC.
Following tradition, clergy held a final memorial service for Blessed Olga before the glorification rite. Metropolitan Kliment of Nizhyn then read out the Holy Synod’s decision on her local glorification, which set her feast day as October 16/29, the anniversary of her death.
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Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshgorod, abbot of the Kiev Caves Lavra, then read the life of Blessed Olga, and those gathered sang the troparion, kontakion, and hymn of praise to her before venerating her icon.
After the reading of the Holy Gospel, Metropolitan Onuphry addressed the faithful with a homily. He spoke about the newly glorified saint, telling the congregation that the church had celebrated the sacred rite of glorifying the newly revealed servant of God, Blessed Olga, who spent many years struggling in the convent and adorned herself with virtue and holiness. He said her monastics asceticism was that of foolishness for Christ, through which Christians of a high degree of spiritual perfection expose the pride of this world and call people to humility and eternal salvation.
After the dismissal, Metropolitan Onuphry congratulated the faithful on the feast and gave his blessing.
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Blessed Olga of Kiev-Florovsky (Kochanovskaya, 1887-1971) came from a noble family and received a fine education before a miraculous appearance of the Mother of God changed the course of her life. In 1905, at 18 years old, she came to Kiev’s Florovsky Convent with the blessing of the Glinsk elders. She spent more than 60 years there in prayer, humility, and spiritual struggle.
Behind her foolishness for Christ and eccentric behavior, the blessed eldress concealed great gifts of the Holy Spirit—clairvoyance, healing, and the working of miracles. During the difficult years of Soviet persecution and church closures, she served as a living center of faith, and people turned to her for spiritual comfort, advice, and prayer.
Blessed Olga foresaw the day of her death and reposed in the Lord on October 29, 1971. She was buried at Zverinetske Cemetery in Kiev, and before her repose asked people to visit her grave, promising to pray for everyone who remembered her.
Read more about St. Olga in the article, “Blessed Olga of the Florovsky Convent in Kiev, a Fool-for-Christ.”
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