Saint of the Day - St. Helena of Constantinople (Aug. 18th)
Channel: House of Prayers for Everyone (HOPE)
Date: 2023-08-17

In today's video, we feature St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great.

Early Life

Flavia Julia Helena was born in the year 248 to a lower class family who lived in the Greek city of Drepanon, Bithynia, Asia Minor. When she become a young woman, she worked as a stablemaid or inn-keeper.

There, she met her future husband, Constantius Chlorus, who was stationed at Asia Minor while serving under Emperor Aurelian. The two were reportedly married in 270. Helena later gave birth to the future Emperor Constantine I on February 27th, 272.

However, Constantius divorced Helena sometime in the year 289 to gain more attention to his rising status. He later married Maximiana Theodora, the daughter of Roman Emperor Maximian, thus, Constantius became heir-apparent to the throne.

It is said that Helena and her son were dispatched to the court of Diocletian at Nicomedia, where Constantine grew to be a member of the inner circle. Helena never remarried and lived for a time in obscurity, though close to her only son, who had a deep regard and affection for her.

Constantius ascend to the Roman throne in 305 following the death of Maximian. Unfortunately, Constantius died the following year. Thus, Constantine was proclaimed as the Emperor in the year 306.

Following Constantine's elevation to the throne, Helena was brought back to the imperial court. She lived in the Horti Spei Veteris in Rome which she converted into an even more luxurious palace.

Constantine appointed his mother Helena as Augusta and gave her unlimited access to the imperial treasury in order to locate the relics of the Christian tradition. 

Pilgrimage

In 326, Helena started her pilgrimage. According to Eusebius of Caesarea, who records the details of her pilgrimage to Palestine and other eastern provinces, Helena was responsible for the beautification of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, and the Church of Eleona on the Mount of Olives, popularly known to Christians as the sites of Christ's birth and ascension, respectively. 

Local stories also attributed Helena to the construction of a church in Egypt to identify the Burning Bush of Sinai. The church of the Archangel Michael was also founded by Helena in Sille, Konya in Asia Minor in 327.

The True Cross and Other Important Relics

According to tradition, Helena ordered the temple of Venus torn down to begin excavating which led to the recovery of three different crosses. As the story is told, Helena had a woman who was near death brought from the city. When the woman touched the first and second crosses, her condition did not change, but when she touched the third and final cross she suddenly recovered. With this miracle, Helena declared the third cross to be the True Cross.

It was also believed that Helena also found the nails of the crucifixion. To use their miraculous power to aid her son, Helena allegedly had one placed in Constantine's helmet and another in the bridle of his horse. 

Several relics believed to discovered during Helena's pilgrimage were items believed to be part of Jesus Christ's tunic, pieces of the holy cross, and pieces of the rope with which Jesus was tied on the Cross. 

Death, Feast Days and Celebration

Helena died around the year 330, with Constantine at her side. She was buried in the Mausoleum of Helena, outside Rome on the Via Labicana. 

The Roman Catholic Church considered Helena a saint and set her feast day on August 18th. Other Churches have different dates her feast day: Eastern and Oriental Orthodox as well as Anglican and Lutheran Churches during May 21st, while in some Lutheran Churches it is celebrated on May 19th. The Episcopal Church celebrate the feast day of St. Helena every May 21st.

The Philippines even have a yearly pageant of floral-themed parade called Santacruzan held on the last day of the Flores de Mayo which honors the finding of the True Cross by Helena of Constantinople (known as Reyna Elena) and Constantine the Great.

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Images attributed to the following:
- By Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano - www.artrenewal.org/pages/artwork.php?artworkid=22379&amp;size=large, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
- By FrancescoMazzucotelli - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- By Jebulon - Own work, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- By Lucas Cranach the Elder - ugHdog5vN4CW0Q — Google Arts &amp; Culture, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
- By Use the force - Own work, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons