SAINT HELEN

Saint Helen, also known as Saint Helena or Helena of Constantinople, was the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great and is especially honored for her piety, her support of the early Christian Church, and her legendary pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Born around the mid-3rd century, possibly in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), Helen came from humble origins. She became the wife of Constantius Chlorus, a Roman officer who later became Caesar. Together they had a son, Constantine, who would go on to become the first Christian Roman emperor.

After Constantine rose to power and issued the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, granting religious freedom to Christians, Helen converted to Christianity and became a devout follower. In her later years, she undertook a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where she is traditionally credited with discovering the True Cross—the cross upon which Jesus was crucified—during excavations in Jerusalem. This event became one of the most celebrated legends of early Christian history.

Helen supported the construction of several important churches in the Holy Land, including the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

She died around the year 330 AD and was later declared a saint. Her feast day is celebrated on August 18 in the Western Church and May 21 in the Eastern Orthodox Church (shared with her son Constantine).

Saint Helen is the patron saint of archaeologists, converts, difficult marriages, divorced people, and new discoveries. She is also venerated as a protector of the Holy Land and Christian relics.

In art, she is often depicted holding a large cross or with the True Cross nearby, symbolizing her legendary discovery.

16x20” acrylic on wood. Prayerfully made by Stephen Hotchkiss. 

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