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Elena RavnopostolnayaShe became famous for her activities in spreading Christianity and for her excavations in Jerusalem, during which, according to Christian chroniclers, the Holy Sepulchre, the Life-Giving Cross and other relics of the Passion were found. Helena is revered
Date of Birth: .
Country:  Dive |
Content:
- The Life of Saint Helena
- The Innkeeper's Daughter
- Marriage and Son
- Divorce and Son's Rise
- Move West and Cathedral Foundation
- Conversion to Christianity
- Imperial Life and Legacy
The Life of Saint Helena
Early Life and OriginsThe exact year of Helena's birth remains unknown. She was born in the small village of Drepanum in Bithynia (near Constantinople), according to Procopius. Her son, Emperor Constantine, later transformed her birthplace into a city named Helenopolis in her honor. Today, this settlement is identified with the Turkish town of Hersek.
The Innkeeper's Daughter
Historians speculate that Helena assisted her father in a stable, serving wine to travelers awaiting fresh horses or working as a servant in his inn. It was here that she likely encountered Constantius Chlorus, who became ruler (caesar) of the West under Maximian Herculius.
Marriage and Son
In the early 270s, Helena became the wife or concubine (an unofficial, permanent companion) of Constantius Chlorus. On February 27, 272, in the city of Naissus (modern-day Niš, Serbia), Helena gave birth to a son: Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantine, the future Emperor Constantine the Great. The existence of any other children by Helena remains unknown.
Divorce and Son's Rise
In 293, Constantius was adopted by Emperor Maximian and divorced Helena, marrying his adopted sister Theodora. No records of Helena's life survive during this period until her son's reign. She likely remained close to her birthplace, as Constantine began his rise to power from Nicomedia (center of Bithynia), summoned from the West by his father in 305.
Move West and Cathedral Foundation
Helena may have moved further west to be closer to her son in Trier (modern-day Trier), which became Constantine's residence after inheriting the westernmost part of the Roman Empire. According to a pamphlet published by the Trier Cathedral clergy, Saint Helena "gave part of her palace to Bishop Agritius" for a church, founding the Trier Cathedral of Saint Peter.
Conversion to Christianity
When Constantine adopted Christianity (following his victory at Milvian Bridge in 312), Helena followed suit, although she was already in her 60s by that time. Contemporary accounts, such as Eusebius of Caesarea, attest to this.
Imperial Life and Legacy
Helena's first coins depicting her as Nobilissima Femina ("Most Noble Woman") were minted in 318-319 CE in Thessalonica. She likely resided at the imperial court in Rome or Trier during this period, though historical records make no mention of it. In Rome, she owned a vast estate near the Lateran. One of her palace buildings was converted into a Christian church, the Helenian Basilica (Liber Pontificalis attributes its construction to Constantine, but historians speculate that Helena may have initiated the renovation herself).
In 324, Helena was proclaimed Augusta by her son: "He crowned his mother, Helena, the godly wise woman, with the royal diadem and allowed her, as a queen, to mint her own coins." Eusebius noted that Constantine entrusted Helena with the control of the imperial treasury at her discretion. Avrelius Victor, a non-Christian historian, also testifies to the emperor's high regard for his mother, recounting a story where Constantine had his wife Fausta killed after Helena accused her of misconduct.
