Helena: Queen and Saint

Revered as a saint by the Catholic and Orthodox churches, Helena is best known for her legendary discovery of the True Cross. The mother of Emperor Constantine, who had made Christianity legitimate for the first time, Helena is also known as a major contributor to the transformation of the pagan city of Aelia Capitolina into Christian Jerusalem.

When Constantinue issued the Edict of Milan, rendering Christianity a legitimate religion of the Roman Empire, a marked shift in the balance of power took place in Jerusalem. Where paganism once dominated the landscape, suddenly Christianity began to take hold. With the discovery of the Holy Sepulchre beneath a pagan temple, Christianity took the lead as the ascendant religion of Jerusalem.

It was in this context of transformation that Helena is said to have appeared on the scene, determined to find as many Christian relics as possible. Legend tells of her search for the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. Helena ordered a temple of Venus to be torn down, and beneath found three crosses. Legend goes further to tell that when a sick woman touched one of the crosses, she was healed immediately—thereby proving that the cross was indeed the True Cross.

It is also believed that Helena found the nails of the crucifixion, which she placed in Constantine’s helmet and bridle, that their power would aid him in battle.

Another legend tells of Helena’s discovery of the Holy Tunic, a seamless robe worn by Jesus. Today the robe is housed in the Cathedral of Trier in Germany, as it has been for hundreds of years.

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