**Empress Helena** (c. 250–330), also known as St. Helena of Constantinople, was the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great and one of the most influential women in the early Christian Church. She is venerated as a saint by the Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican churches for her pivotal role in the recovery of Christian relics and the establishment of pilgrimage sites in the Holy Land. Born in Drepanum, Bithynia (later renamed Helenopolis in her honor), Helena came from humble origins, reportedly working as a stable-maid or inn servant. Around 270 she met the Roman officer Constantius Chlorus, to whom she bore her only son Constantine in 272. When Constantius was elevated to Caesar in 293, he divorced Helena for political reasons to marry Theodora, daughter of the Emperor Maximian. For years Helena lived in obscurity, but her fortunes changed dramatically when her son Constantine became Emperor in 306. She joined his court, possibly first at **Trier** and later at Rome. After Constantine's victory at the Milvian Bridge in 312 and the Edict of Milan in 313 which legalized Christianity, Helena was granted the title *Augusta* (Empress) in 324 and given access to the imperial treasury. In 326–328, at nearly eighty years of age, Helena undertook a momentous pilgrimage to the Holy Land. According to ancient tradition, she discovered the **True Cross** of Christ's crucifixion at Golgotha in Jerusalem. She also identified and ordered the construction or beautification of the **Church of the Nativity** in Bethlehem and the **Church on the Mount of Olives** (Eleona). Legend credits her with finding the **Holy Nails** of the Crucifixion and bringing the **Holy Robe** (the Seamless Garment of Christ) to Trier. Helena died around 330 in Rome, with her son Constantine at her side. She was buried in the Mausoleum of Helena on the Via Labicana. Her sarcophagus is now displayed in the Vatican Museums. Relics of St. Helena are venerated in several locations: - **Trier Cathedral, Germany** – Her skull and the "Cup of St. Helena" - **Santa Maria in Ara Coeli, Rome** – Her body relics (transferred in 1154) - **Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Rome** – Her former palace, now a basilica housing relics of the True Cross - **Sant'Elena, Venice** – Claims to possess her complete body - **Paris and Hautvillers** – Partial relics **Feast Days:** - August 18 (Roman Catholic Church) - May 21 (Eastern Orthodox Church, celebrated with Constantine) **Patronage:** Archaeologists, converts, difficult marriages, divorced people, empresses, new discoveries