Saint Zofia of Słuck

Zofia Radziwiłł (née Olelkowicz), also Zofia of Słuck (Lithuanian: Sofija Olelkaitė-Radvilienė; Polish: Zofia Olelkowiczówna, 1 May 1585 – 19 March 1612) is a Polish-Lithuanian Orthodox Christian saint. She was the last descendant of the Olelkowicz–Słucki family – princes of Slutsk and Kopyl – who were descended from Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas. She was canonized by the Orthodox Church in 1983. The church of St. Sophia of Slutsk in Minsk is named in her honour. Zofia was born on 1 May 1585. Her mother, Barbara (née Kiszka), died the same year, and her father, Prince Jurij Semenowicz Olelkowicz, died on 6 May 1586. Zofia was raised by distant relatives, first by the governor of Samogitia province Jerzy Chodkiewicz, of the Chodkiewicz family, who took her to Vilnius, and then by the governor of Brest province, Hieronim Chodkiewicz. Because of debts the Chodkiewicz family owed to the Radziwill family, it became expedient to make a match between Zofia and Janusz Radziwill, Prince of Nesvizh and a son of the governor of Vilnius, Prince Krzysztof Radziwill. At that time Zofia was eleven years old. The wedding between Zofia and Janusz was scheduled for 6 February 1600 in Vilnius. Before this happened there was a falling out between the Chodkiewicz and the Radziwill families, almost certainly over the financial arrangements that the wedding was contingent upon. The matter proceeded to a court but the decision was in favour of the Radziwills, possibly because the judge rendering the verdict was Jerzy Radziwill. Rather than accept the verdict the Chodkiewicz family retreated with Zofia to their castle in Vilnius. Janusz Radziwill’s father Krzysztof collected 6,000 troops in Vilnius and prepared for battle against the Chodkiewicz camp with their 2,500 troops. The tense situation was only calmed when four senators sent by the Polish King Sigismund III Vasa arrived and began to sue for peace through negotiations.