St. Helena (about 250–330) was the mother of Constantine, the first Christian Roman emperor, a woman of humble birth who became empress, converted to Christianity in middle age, and at nearly eighty traveled to the Holy Land, where according to tradition she discovered the True Cross of Christ. She built churches on the holy sites of Bethlehem and the Mount of Olives and gave generously to the poor. She is the patron saint of converts, of those in difficult marriages and of archaeologists, and her feast day is August 18. Below are prayers to St. Helena, her story, the legend of the Cross and what she is the patron of.
A short prayer to St. Helena, written for this page:
St. Helena, you searched for the Cross of Christ and found it.
Help me to find Him in my own crosses,
to embrace them with faith, and to glory in nothing but the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Prayers to St. Helena
Written for this page.
Prayer to St. Helena
St. Helena, mother of an emperor and servant of the poor,
you came to the faith late in life and loved it with all your heart.
Pray for me, that I may never stop seeking Christ,
that I may carry my cross with patience, and that I may share what I have with those in need. Amen.
For a difficult marriage
St. Helena, you knew the pain of being abandoned by your husband.
Pray for me in my marriage. Give me strength, patience and wisdom,
heal what can be healed, and keep my heart close to Christ. Amen.
For someone searching for the faith
St. Helena, you found the Cross after a long search.
Pray for (name), who is searching for the truth.
Lead (him/her) to Jesus and to His Church. Amen.
Who was St. Helena?
Helena was born about 250, probably at Drepanum in Asia Minor, and was of humble background; St. Ambrose calls her a stabularia, an innkeeper’s daughter or stable-maid. She became the wife of the Roman officer Constantius Chlorus and the mother of Constantine, born about 274. When Constantius rose to power, he divorced her for political reasons to marry the stepdaughter of the emperor. But her son remained devoted to her. After Constantine became emperor, he brought her to court, gave her the title Augusta, and through his influence she became a Christian. According to the historian Eusebius, she became “such a devout servant of God” that one might think she had been a disciple of Christ from childhood.
The finding of the True Cross
About 326, in her late seventies, Helena made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. She built the churches of the Nativity in Bethlehem and of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives. According to a tradition recorded by St. Ambrose and other writers of the late fourth century, she searched for the Cross on Calvary, where a pagan temple had been built, and found three crosses; the True Cross was recognized when it healed a dying woman. Constantine built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the site. Relics of the Cross were sent to Rome, where they are kept in the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem (Santa Croce in Gerusalemme), built in Helena’s palace.
The Church long celebrated the Finding of the Holy Cross on May 3, with this prayer from the 1916 missal:
O God, who, by the glorious finding of the cross of salvation, didst repeat the miracles of thy passion, grant that by the ransom of the tree of life we may obtain the title to eternal life. Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.
Today the Cross is honored on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, September 14. St. Paul’s words sum up Helena’s devotion (Galatians 6:14):
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.
What is St. Helena the patron saint of?
St. Helena is the patron saint of:
- Converts and those searching for the faith
- Difficult marriages and divorced people, since her husband put her aside
- Archaeologists and those who search for lost things
- Empresses, and the city of Trier
Feast day
The feast of St. Helena is August 18 in the Roman Martyrology. The Eastern Churches honor her with her son, St. Constantine, on May 21. She died about 330, with Constantine at her side.
Frequently asked questions
Who was St. Helena?
The mother of Constantine the Great, a convert to Christianity who, according to tradition, found the True Cross in Jerusalem about 326.
When is St. Helena’s feast day?
August 18.
What is St. Helena the patron saint of?
Converts, difficult marriages and divorced people, and archaeologists.
More prayers
- Exaltation of the Holy Cross
- Stations of the Cross by St. Alphonsus
- Patron saint of marriage
- St. Monica prayer
- Good Friday
- Saint feast days
Texts and sources
- The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), Finding of the Holy Cross (May 3), Collect, public domain (archive.org).
- Galatians 6:14 (Douay-Rheims).
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “St. Helena,” public domain (Wikisource).