Elena Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress of Constantinople. Elena Equal-to-the-Apostles Holy Empress Elena Equal-to-the-Apostles

Religious reading: Tsaritsa Elena of Constantinople prayer to help our readers.

Memory: March 6 / March 19, May 21 / June 1

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Akathist to Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and Empress Helen of Constantinople:

Canon Equal to the Apostles to Tsar Constantine and Empress Helen of Constantinople:

Hagiography and scientific-historical literature about Equal-to-the-Apostles Queen Elena:

• Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helena of Constantinople– Pravoslavie.Ru

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The icon of St. Helena helps in what

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The icon of Saint Helena is the greatest relic in the history of Orthodoxy. She is a part of the past that came to the future in order to stay in it for centuries, turning into one of the most revered images. It contains the soul of the people, its pain and suffering, difficult periods of formation and faith, which, having traveled a long and difficult path, has become a symbol of all Christianity.

Icon of Elena Equal to the Apostles

The mother of the Roman emperor Constantine, Elena, like himself, can be called the most prominent personalities in the history of Orthodoxy of all centuries, who were canonized as equal to the apostles.

They have long been depicted on icons as people who contributed to the strengthening of Christianity. Elena helped faithful Christians to return their relics and shrines, helped in the construction of temples and churches. But most of all, she became famous for her righteous deeds in the name of Christ. And the main one is the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Icon of St. Helena, meaning, what helps

The true meaning of this face is that every believer who turns to him not only finds help and salvation, but also strengthens his faith, just as Elena did. The holy image teaches that everyone who believes in the Lord must sacredly bear his cause and honor him.

On the face, Elena is depicted with her son Constantine, where each of them supports the Cross with one hand. This is a symbol of support and help in the revival of Christianity and a sign that it will always exist as long as there are people who, by their faith and righteous deeds, carry it in their hearts, as they carry the word of God, and it is eternal on earth.

What helps the Icon of St. Helena

Along with many Orthodox icons, the face has tremendous miraculous power and is distinguished by the fact that the people depicted on it gained holiness and became revered among people, thanks to their thoughts and deeds, which means they had a high spiritual culture, which was not equal. This is a great Christian example of how a righteous deed in the name of the Most High becomes the road to eternal life, for faith for a person is everything: his strength, love, fidelity and repentance.

Even today, thousands of Christians come to the icon in order to raise their prayers in a petition for help and gain strength for struggle and formation. The face helps in such cases and life situations:

• improvement of material well-being;
• the beginning of a new important business;
• career advancement;
• success in the political arena.

In addition, the image is the sacred patron of the family and everything connected with it. That is why he is often approached with prayers for preserving the family hearth, raising children (even about their birth - infertility treatment), resolving conflicts, reviving understanding, trust, love.

Also, the image is very revered among agricultural workers and ordinary Christians working on the ground. It is believed that it helps to increase crops and fertility, which, in turn, will bring prosperity to all who worked for good.

Great is her help in healing ailments and strengthening physical health, which is inextricably linked with the spiritual, for a person who wants to heal the body must begin with the soul. And here the main thing is faith, eternal and unshakable. Only she is the only true path to God's grace.

They turn to the Saint for protection with these words:

Oh, the king, the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Heleno! To you, a warm intercessor, we offer up our unworthy prayers, as if you have great boldness to the Lord. Ask Him for the peace of the Church and the whole world for prosperity, wisdom for the chief, care for the flock for the shepherd, humility for the flock, longed-for repose for the elder, strength for the husband, splendor for the wives, purity for the virgin, obedience to the children, Christian upbringing for the infant, healing for the sick, reconciliation for the rebellious, offended patience, offending the fear of God. To those who come to this temple and pray in it, a holy blessing and to everyone who is useful for everyone, let us praise and sing the Benefactor of all God in the Trinity of the glorious Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.

The icon of Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helena is a real masterpiece of Christianity, the significance of which cannot be exaggerated. She not only helps, saves and gives hope, she teaches everyone a righteous life, for only in the thoughts and deeds of a person lies his future. It is important to always remember that the faith that the Lord gives must be multiplied and shared among others; you need to understand that only the right deed, aimed at the good and backed up by God's grace, will have the result that every Christian strives for.

May the Lord keep you!

You will also be interested in watching a video about the life of St. Helena:

Helena, Empress of Constantinople, Equal to the Apostles

Prayer to Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Elena:

Equal-to-the-Apostles Prayer to Empress Helena of Constantinople. She is the mother of King Constantine. The first merit of Empress Helena was that she disposed her son Constantine to the Christian faith, and through this gradually the whole Roman world became Christian. The second merit of Queen Helena is the erection of the Holy Cross and the construction of now famous churches in the Holy Land. Saint Helena is the patroness of the church clergy, temple builders, benefactors and missionaries. They pray to her for the gift and strengthening of faith in children and relatives, for the gift of parental zeal for raising children in the faith, for admonishing non-believers and sectarians. She is commemorated in prayer together with her Equal-to-the-Apostles son Constantine.

The first merit of Queen Elena was that she disposed her son Constantine to the Christian faith at a time when other young men of noble entry were brought up in a pagan spirit and despised Christianity. The second exaltation of the Cross of the Lord. In order to find the Cross of the Lord, Queen Elena in 326 went to Jerusalem. She was told that the Cross of the Lord was buried in the ground at the place where the pagans erected a temple in honor of Venus. When, on the orders of Helen, they broke down the building and began to dig the ground, they found three crosses and near them a plaque with the inscription: Jesus of Nazarene, King of the Jews. To find out on which of the three crosses the Savior was crucified, they began to lay them in turn on the deceased. No miracle happened from the two crosses. When they laid the third cross, the deceased was resurrected, thus they recognized the cross of the Savior. When people learned about the miracle, everyone wanted to see the holy Cross. Then Patriarch Macarius of Jerusalem and Empress Helen stood on a high place and erected (raised) a cross. The people, seeing the cross of the Lord, prayed with the words: Lord have mercy! In memory of this event, the Church established the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord. This holiday is one of the great ones and is celebrated on September 27th. On this day, the holy cross is solemnly brought to the middle of the temple for worship. During the reign of Constantine, the former name of the city of Jerusalem was restored instead of the new one, Julius Capitolina, given to him under the emperor Hadrian (117-138). on Easter night, the blessed fire descends; on the Mount of Olives (where the Lord ascended into Heaven); in Bethlehem (where the Lord was born according to the flesh) and in Hebron at the Oak of Mamre (where God appeared to Abraham).

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June 3 - Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and his mother Tsarina Elena.

Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helena of Constantinople is the mother of Tsar Constantine. The first merit of Empress Helena was that she disposed her son Constantine to the Christian faith, and through this gradually the whole Roman world became Christian. The second merit of Queen Elena is the erection of the Holy Cross and the construction of the now famous and iconic churches in the Holy Land. Through her efforts, the Church of the Resurrection (and the Sepulcher) of the Lord was built on Golgotha, where the Holy Fire descends annually on Easter night; on the Mount of Olives (where the Lord ascended into Heaven); in Bethlehem (where the Lord was born according to the flesh) and in Hebron at the Oak of Mamre (where God appeared to Abraham). Saint Helena is the patroness of the church clergy, temple builders, benefactors and missionaries. They pray to her for the gift and strengthening of faith in children and relatives, for the gift of parental zeal for raising children in the faith, for admonishing non-believers and sectarians. She is commemorated in prayer together with her Equal-to-the-Apostles son Constantine.

Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and Empress Helen of Constantinople. Icon

Troparion to the Equal-to-the-Apostles King Constantine and Empress Helen, Tone 8

Having seen Your Cross in Heaven and, like Paul, the title is not from a man, Thy Apostle, O Lord, put the reigning city in Thy hands, save it always in the world with the prayers of the Theotokos, O only Lover of mankind.

Kontakion to the Equal-to-the-Apostles King Constantine and Empress Helen, Tone 3

Constantine today with the matter of Helena, the Cross is shown, the all-honorable tree, the shame of all the Jews is there, the weapon against the opposite faithful people: for the sake of us, a great sign appeared and in formidable battles.

First Prayer Equal to the Apostles to Tsar Constantine and Empress Helena

Oh, the king, the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Heleno! To you, a warm intercessor, we offer up our unworthy prayers, as if you have great boldness to the Lord. Ask Him for the peace of the Church and prosperity for the whole world. Wisdom as a leader, care for the flock as a shepherd, humility for the flock, longed-for repose for the elder, strength for the husband, splendor for the wife, purity for the virgin, obedience to the child, Christian upbringing as the infant, healing to the sick, reconciliation to the hostile, patience to the offended, offending the fear of God. To those who come to this temple and pray in it, a holy blessing and all that is useful to everyone at every request, let us praise and sing the Benefactor of all God in the Trinity of the glorious Father and Son and the Holy Spirit now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

Second Prayer Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and Empress Elena

About Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen! Deliver this parish and our temple from every slander of the enemy and do not leave us, the weak, with your intercession ( names), implore the goodness of Christ our God to grant us thoughts of peace, from pernicious passions and all kinds of filth abstinence, piety is not hypocritical. Ask us, saints of God, from above for the spirit of meekness and humility, the spirit of patience and repentance, and let us live the rest of our life in faith and contrition of heart, and so at the hour of our death we thankfully praise the Lord who glorified you, the Beginningless Father, His Only Begotten Son and the Consubstantial All-Good Spirit, the Indivisible Trinity, forever and ever. Amen.

Elena Equal to the Apostles

March 19 and June 3 are commemorated Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helena (circa 250-330), mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. Elena raised her son in Christianity and contributed a lot to the fact that later Constantine made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire. Queen Elena did a lot to spread Christianity in other countries. At the age of about 80, she made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where she excavated at the places of execution and burial of Jesus Christ. Among the relics found were four nails and the Life-Giving Cross, on which the Lord was crucified. In memory of the events of the earthly life of Christ, Elena founded several churches in the Holy Land, of which the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the most famous throughout the world. On the way back to her homeland, she founded a number of monasteries, for example, the Stavrovouni Monastery in Cyprus. For her great services to the church, Elena was canonized as Equal-to-the-Apostles (besides her, only five other women received such an honor - Mary Magdalene, First Martyr Thekla, Martyr Apphia, Princess Olga and Enlightener of Georgia Nina).

An interesting story is connected with the transfer of the relics of the holy Empress Helena from Rome to France. According to Nikolai Nikishin, cleric of the Three Saints Metochion of the Moscow Patriarchate in Paris, today the relics are in one of the Catholic churches on the main street of Paris, dotted with low-class entertainment establishments. Initially, the relics were kept in the church of the holy martyrs Marcellinus and Peter in Rome. But in the 9th century, a French monk who received healing from the relics secretly took them to his abbey.

When the Pope found out about the fate of the stolen relics, he did not demand their return, and they remained in France. During the revolution, persecution began against the Church, and shortly before the destruction of the monastery, the relics were transferred to a church located in a neighboring village. And in 1820, the relics ended up with the knights of the Royal Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulcher, which considered Queen Elena to be its founder (since she laid the foundation of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem). So the relics ended up in the church of Saint-le-Saint-Gilles in Paris, where they are still kept in a sarcophagus suspended high under the arches. There are many testimonies in history about miraculous healings of people who turned their prayers to Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Elena. However, today few pilgrims come to the relics - for many Orthodox Christians, the location of the relics remains a mystery.

Princess Olga (884-969) - the first Russian saint - received the name Elena in baptism(in honor of Empress Helena). Olga, just like Empress Elena, contributed a lot to the fact that Christianity came to her land. After the death of her husband, Prince Igor, Olga herself ruled Kievan Rus, rejecting proposals for remarriage. She took upon herself the burden of state administration and improvement until the time when the heir to the throne, Prince Svyatoslav, grew up. However, even after Svyatoslav officially began to reign, Olga managed all affairs, because her son spent a lot of time on military campaigns. Princess Olga turned out to be a strong and wise ruler, she was able to strengthen the country's defense power, and introduced a unified system of taxes. Olga's baptism in Constantinople predetermined the adoption of Christianity by all the ancient Russian people (the baptism of Rus' took place already under her grandson Vladimir, whom Olga raised in the Christian faith). Memorial Day of Princess Olga (St. Helena) - July 24.

Another Saint Helena - Blessed Elena Serbian(date of death - February 8, 1314), wife of King Stefan Uros I Nemanich. She raised two sons, the future kings of Serbia - Saints Milutin and Dragutin. Elena became famous for her patronage of the poor and orphans. In her yard in Brnyatsy, she founded a school for orphans, where she taught them faith, literacy, and needlework. When they grew up, she provided them with a rich dowry and gave them in marriage. Elena built houses for the impoverished peasants, arranged cloisters for those who wished to live in purity and virginity, and made generous donations to churches and monasteries. Before her death, she accepted monasticism with the name Elizabeth. She was buried in her monastery - Gradac Monastery in Serbia. Three years after the burial, when it was discovered that the body of the queen remained incorrupt, the Serbian Orthodox Church canonized Elena as a saint. Until the beginning of the 17th century, the relics of St. Helena of Serbia were kept in the Gradac church, and today they are in Montenegro, not far from the city of Herceg Novi, in a monastery founded by St. Sava of Serbia. The memory of Elena Serbskaya is celebrated on November 12 - the day when her holy relics were found incorrupt. Few can leave indifferent history Reverend Elena Diveevskaya. Elena Vasilievna Manturova (1805-1832) was born into a noble family. At the age of 17, she vowed to enter a monastery, and after three years of trials and preparation for monasticism, Father Seraphim of Sarov blessed her to enter the Diveevo Kazan community. In addition to general obediences, Elena always carried out the most difficult assignments of the priest - not only because she received a good education and, unlike many sisters, she was literate.

She also knew how to "reason with her heart", to distinguish between good and bad, and to do what pleases God. When the Mill Monastery was founded in the monastery, the priest appointed Elena Vasilyevna as the head of it. Elena received her last, most difficult obedience when her brother, Mikhail Vasilyevich Manturov, a benefactor of the Diveevo community and beloved disciple of St. Seraphim, fell seriously ill. “He needs to die, mother,” said Father Seraphim. - And I still need it for our monastery, for orphans. So here is obedience to you: you die for Mikhail Vasilievich! “Bless, Father,” Elena Vasilievna humbly replied.

Returning home, she took to her bed and died a few days later. Memorial Day of the Reverend nun Elena is celebrated on June 10.

Christian history remembers another Helen - but not as an ascetic who knows how to kindle spiritual fire in hearts, but, on the contrary, as a violator of one thousand-year tradition. As you know, a woman's foot never sets foot on the land of Athos. However, history knows one exception, and her name is Elena. In 1347, King of Serbia Stefan Urosh IV Dusan and Queen Elena spent several months on Mount Athos, fleeing the plague.

In Russia, parents often call their daughters Elena. In the first third of the 20th century, this name was among the ten most common in Moscow. In the 50-80s, it firmly held the first place in popularity. Today, the name Elena has lost its former position - in the 2000s, it does not even fall into the top ten most common female names.

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Among the vast pantheon of Christian saints, one of the most revered are Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helena. Their role in spreading the true faith is invaluable. That is why they were awarded such a great honor to be placed on a par with the apostles - the closest disciples and followers of Christ.

The servant who gave birth to the emperor

The full name of Queen Helena is Flavia Julia Elena Augusta. It is known that she was born in the middle of the 3rd century in the city of Drepan, in Asia Minor, but the exact date of her birth has not been established. The childhood of the future queen passed very modestly - she served at the horse station that belonged to her father. There, among other travelers, she met her future husband Constantius Chlorus, who later became

The fruit of their love was a son who was born on February 27, 272 and received a rather vague name at birth - Flavius ​​Valerius Aurelius Constantine. In world history, this child entered as the Great, by whose command Christianity became the official religion of the Roman state.

Imperial crown that brought religious freedom to Rome

When her son was barely fifteen years old, Elena's family life was upset. Constantius turned out to be a rather windy spouse and broke up with her, preferring the young stepdaughter of the emperor Maximian, who was ruling at that time. However, as often happens, being a bad husband, he turned out to be a good father and, having ascended the Roman throne, secured the future of his son, making him the ruler of a large part of the country. The city of Trevir (the modern German city of Trier) became his residence, and Elena Equal to the Apostles moved to live closer to her son.

In 306, an important event took place - the emperor died, and Constantine became his successor, proclaimed by the Roman army of many thousands. It is known that one of his first acts was the establishment in Rome and the countries subject to him of freedom of religion and the cessation of all persecution on religious grounds. Thanks to this, after three centuries of persecution, Christianity finally emerged from the catacombs.

Helena's finest hour

Historical materials testify that throughout her life Elena Equal to the Apostles treated with great respect those who, despite the mortal danger, professed Christ, but she herself was baptized when she was already over sixty. By this time, she was proclaimed "August", that is, the reigning person, and settled in a vast Roman estate located next to the Lateran Palace, which later became the residence of the popes.

Already at the end of her days, St. Helen Equal to the Apostles completed the main work of her life - a pilgrimage, where she undertook excavations directly on Golgotha ​​itself. Her goal was, if possible, to find material evidence of events that took place there three centuries ago.

The answer to the question of what prompted a woman at such a venerable age to go in search of the Cross of the Lord and other shrines is the sacred tradition. It tells about how, in a night vision, Saint Helen heard a voice commanding her to go to Jerusalem, and there, having cleared the place of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ from the earth, to reveal to the world the priceless treasures found on it. On the morning of the next day, Saints Constantine and Helena prayed for a long time that the Lord would send down His Grace for the fulfillment of such an important mission.

Not an easy task

As the legend tells, great difficulties awaited the pious queen in the capital of ancient Judea. The fact is that for such a long time the place of execution and the subsequent resurrection of Christ was hidden under a thick layer of earth and garbage, deliberately brought there by the wicked, and it was impossible to find it. Finally, after long inquiries from local residents, it was possible to find out the exact location of Golgotha ​​from one old Jew. After that, St. Helena Equal to the Apostles ordered the excavations to begin.

When the upper layers of the earth were removed and the top of the mountain was exposed, not one cross, but three, appeared before the eyes of those present, because on the day of execution, as is known, two robbers were crucified along with Christ. There was a difficult task ahead - to determine on which of them Jesus accepted suffering.

Checking the shrine for truth

What followed next was another confirmation of the wisdom that Queen Elena possessed. When everyone was waiting in complete bewilderment for her decision, a funeral procession came up to the excavation site, in front of which they carried the coffin with the body of a dead woman. Knowing that only one of the three crosses has Divine power, Elena asked the relatives of the deceased to stop and ordered the servants to touch the dead body in turn with each of the three crosses. As soon as the turn came to the one that was a true shrine, and the hand of the deceased was laid on him, she immediately resurrected, which caused universal joy and rejoicing.

Finding the Holy Sepulcher

In addition to the life-giving Cross of the Lord, Saint Helena Equal-to-the-Apostles, as tradition testifies, acquired four nails with which the body of the Savior was nailed and the very plate - the title on which he personally inscribed "Jesus of Nazarene King of the Jews." She also discovered a cave in which they laid the body of Jesus taken down from the cross. It is thanks to the labors of St. Helena that Christians around the world today can personally observe how the light of the Holy Fire descended on the occasion of Easter appears in the window of the Kuvuklia erected over the Holy Sepulcher.

In memory of this great event, a holiday was established, called the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. Every year on September 27, the Orthodox Church celebrates the anniversary of the day when, in 326, Empress Helen Equal to the Apostles revealed to the world the greatest shrines of Christianity.

Completion of a great mission

Having acquired the Life-Giving Cross, the Empress ordered to divide it into two equal parts, one of which, placed in a silver shrine, she left in Jerusalem to the local Bishop Macarius I, who provided her with significant assistance during the excavations. The other part of the Cross, and with it the nails, she sent to Rome to her son. There, this fragment of the Cross was mounted in a sculpture of Emperor Constantine, installed in one of the squares of the capital.

Having completed her mission, the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helena returned to Rome, founding along the way several monasteries that still exist today. The most famous of them is Stavrovouni in Cyprus. As a gift to these monasteries, she left particles of the shrines she found in Jerusalem.

The fate of the relics of St. Helena

Having thus accomplished the main work of her life, Empress Helen Equal to the Apostles returned to Rome, where she soon peacefully reposed in the Lord. The exact date of her death, as well as the place of burial, have not been established. According to some reports, she was buried in Trier, where she owned a rich estate, according to another - in Rome. Some historians claim that her remains were transported to Palestine.

In general, the history associated with her relics is rather long and confusing. According to a number of sources, Emperor Constantine placed her body in a tomb made for himself, giving his mother also his own sarcophagus. Then there is evidence that the relics were transported to France, where they were kept in Champagne for several centuries, and from there they got to Paris in time, where they are still kept in the church of Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles.

Saints Equal to the Apostles

For outstanding services in the spread of Christianity, Constantine and Helena were canonized as saints Equal-to-the-Apostles. It should be noted that in the entire history of Christianity, only five women have been awarded this honor. Her veneration in the East began shortly after her death, while in the Western Church it was established no earlier than the 9th century. Today, the Orthodox Church pays tribute to the memory of finding the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord on March 19. In addition, on June 3, Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helena are remembered in churches.

Posthumous veneration of mother and son

These saints, who acquired unfading glory for themselves, became one of the most revered in the Christian world. One of the limits erected by the crusaders in the middle of the 12th century at the place where she excavated in 326 was named after Equal-to-the-Apostles Helena. In addition, many temples were built in her honor on different continents, and in honor of her son. One of them - the temple of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helena was erected in Kokand, but after the October Revolution, and the establishment of Soviet power in the republics of Central Asia, it was forever closed. Now there is a mosque in its place.

There is also a recently established parish of these Equal-to-the-Apostles Saints in Moscow, in the Mitino region. Despite the fact that it was consecrated only in 2004, it has already earned a good reputation as one of the newly formed spiritual centers of the capital. His shrine is the icon of "Elena Equal-to-the-Apostles", in front of which you can always see those who, in prayers, confide their most secret to her.

Helena (+ c. 327), Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress, mother of the first Christian Tsar, Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine the Great.

Upon the conversion of the emperor Constantine the Great, his mother, Helen, left "the vile and vain idols of the deadly service" and was not slow to accept Christianity.

In 326, Queen Helen, who was already at a very advanced age, wishing to find both Golgotha ​​and the life-giving Cross on which Our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, went to Jerusalem. The life of the saint tells us that for a long time the search remained unsuccessful, until one elderly Jew reported that the Cross was under a pagan temple erected on the site of the crucifixion of the Savior. After many days of excavations, three crosses were discovered. To this day, in the Church of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, a place has been preserved, which is still shown to pilgrims today, where Tsarina Elena stayed day and night and from there, from her window (it is now called the Yeleninsky window), she threw gold coins to the workers to inspire them to work.

But how could one recognize the Holy Cross of the Lord from the three crosses?

A funeral procession was moving along the road at that time. Patriarch Macarius alternately began to lay crosses on the deceased. When the Cross of the Lord touched the dead, he was resurrected. Macarius, wishing to glorify the great joy, the acquisition of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, began to erect it high above the crowd of the assembled people.

The Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Elena had the most pious desire on the site of Golgotha, on the site of the Holy Sepulcher, on the site of the acquisition of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, to erect a majestic temple in honor of the Resurrection of Christ. This temple was built almost 10 years. In the year 335, on September 13, according to the old style, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ was consecrated, and the next day, September 14, the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord was solemnly brought into this temple and erected on Golgotha. And since then, on September 14 (27 NST) every year, the Holy Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord.

And at the head of the first Christian pilgrims rightfully stands the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helena. She came to cleanse Jerusalem from pagan filth, to thank God for the son of the emperor, to bow to the greatest shrines. Leaving behind all the ornaments characteristic of a royal position, Saint Helen, in simple clothes, so as not to be recognized, mingled with the crowd, distributing generous alms. In Jerusalem, the queen invited local girls to a meal, and she herself served them at the table, like a simple slave. The example of St. Helena made a strong impression on the believers. Believers moved to Jerusalem in a wide stream.

Queen Elena built several churches in the Holy Land: on Golgotha ​​the Church of the Resurrection (and the Sepulcher) of the Lord, where every year on Easter night the blessed fire descends; on the Mount of Olives (where the Lord ascended into Heaven); in Bethlehem (where the Lord was born according to the flesh) and in Hebron at the Oak of Mamre (where God appeared to Abraham).

Perhaps by her order, in 327, on the island of Cyprus, where she stopped on her way from the Holy Land, the Cat Monastery was founded, to which a thousand cats were specially sent to fight poisonous snakes. Then in Cyprus, in the monastery of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross (Μονή του Τιμίου και Ζωοποιού Σταυρού, near the modern village of Omodos), Elena left particles of the Cross and the Holy rope, with which the Romans tied the Savior.

In extreme old age (in 327, according to other sources - in 328 or 326), she died in the arms of her son.

veneration

Her body was originally laid in the Church of the Twelve Apostles in Constantinople.

Now the relics of the saint, whose name hundreds of thousands of girls are still called - in memory of the wise empress and the great saint - rest in the Parisian church of Saint-Le-Saint-Gilles (rue Saint-Denis, 92), where in 1997 he was Orthodox a prayer service was performed before the relics of the holy Empress Helena.

It was only recently that the Orthodox Christians of Paris discovered that this shrine was located next to them. The prayer service was the first Orthodox service before the holy relics of Empress Helena in the last nine centuries. Orthodox Christians, having heard that the holy remains of Empress Helena were in the center of Paris, did not at first know how reliable this information was. But then a historical research search based on ancient sources confirmed the authenticity of the relics. The discovery of the relics of Empress Helena Equal to the Apostles, glorified by numerous miracles in the Middle Ages in Ovilliers, provides a new basis for the veneration of the saint both in Paris itself, where there are two Orthodox churches of Constantine and Helena Equal to the Apostles, and throughout the Orthodox world.

Saint Elena.

A) Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Elena.

On March 19 and June 3, the memory of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helena (about 250-330), mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, is celebrated. Elena raised her son in Christianity and contributed a lot to the fact that later Constantine made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire. Queen Elena did a lot to spread Christianity in other countries.

Already at a very advanced age, Saint Helen, at the request of her son, set off from Rome to Jerusalem in order to find there the holy Cross on which the Lord was crucified. And with such a request to his mother, Emperor Constantine addressed that's why. On October 28, 312, at the battle of the Milvian bridge across the Tiber, Constantine defeated his opponent Maxentius and took over the control of the Western part of the Roman Empire. Constantine's victory was granted from above. The historian Eusebius reports that during the prayer, Constantine saw in the sky “an amazing sign of God: a luminous cross appeared over the sun with the inscription “Under this sign you will win.”

In Jerusalem, Empress Elena zealously set about searching for the Cross of the Lord. He was found under one of the pagan temples. The queen immediately informed her son about this, and Constantine received this news with joy. He had the idea to distinguish the holy place with some monument worthy of it. So on the site of that was erected the Church of the Resurrection of Christ.

In memory of the events of the earthly life of Christ, Elena founded several churches in the Holy Land, of which the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the most famous throughout the world. On the way back to her homeland, she founded a number of monasteries, for example, the Stavrovouni Monastery in Cyprus. The queen cared a lot about decorating them and supplying them with everything necessary for worship. She found many holy relics, including the tunic of Jesus Christ.

She returned to Constantinople with a part of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord and the nails found along with the Cross, with which the Body of the Lord was nailed.

Saint Helena died at the age of about 80 in 327 in the arms of her son and grandson Constantius.

For her great services to the church, Elena was canonized as Equal-to-the-Apostles (besides her, only five other women received such an honor - Mary Magdalene, First Martyr Thekla, Martyr Apphia, Princess Olga and Enlightener of Georgia Nina).

An interesting story is connected with the transfer of the relics of the holy Empress Helena from Rome to France. According to Nikolai Nikishin, cleric of the Three Saints Metochion of the Moscow Patriarchate in Paris, today the relics are in one of the Catholic churches on the main street of Paris, dotted with low-class entertainment establishments. Initially, the relics were kept in the church of the holy martyrs Marcellinus and Peter in Rome. But in the 9th century, a French monk who received healing from the relics secretly took them to his abbey.

When the Pope found out about the fate of the stolen relics, he did not demand their return, and they remained in France. During the revolution, persecution began against the Church, and shortly before the destruction of the monastery, the relics were transferred to a church located in a neighboring village. And in 1820, the relics ended up with the knights of the Royal Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulcher, which considered Queen Elena to be its founder (since she laid the foundation of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem). So the relics ended up in the church of Saint-le-Saint-Gilles in Paris, where they are still kept in a sarcophagus suspended high under the arches. There are many testimonies in history about miraculous healings of people who turned their prayers to Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Elena. Today, however, few pilgrims come to the relics - for many Orthodox Christians, the location of the relics remains a mystery.

B) Princess Olga - the first Russian saint.

C) Blessed Elena of Serbia.

Another Saint Helena is Blessed Helena of Serbia, the wife of King Stefan Uros I Nemanich. She raised two sons, the future kings of Serbia - Saints Milutin and Dragutin. Elena became famous for her patronage of the poor and orphans. In her yard in Brnyatsy, she founded a school for orphans, where she taught them faith, literacy, and needlework. When they grew up, she provided them with a rich dowry and gave them in marriage. Elena built houses for the impoverished peasants, arranged cloisters for those who wished to live in purity and virginity, and made generous donations to churches and monasteries. Before her death, she accepted monasticism with the name Elizabeth.
She died February 8, 1306.
She was buried in her monastery - Gradac Monastery in Serbia. Three years after the burial, when it was discovered that the body of the queen remained incorrupt, the Serbian Orthodox Church canonized Elena as a saint. Until the beginning of the 17th century, the relics of St. Helena of Serbia were kept in the Gradac Church, and today they are in Montenegro, not far from the city of Herceg Novi, in a monastery founded by St. Sava of Serbia. The memory of Elena Serbskaya is celebrated on November 12 - the day when her holy relics were found incorrupt.

D) Holy Martyr Elena.

All that is known about the holy martyr Elena is that her father, the holy apostle Alpheus (out of 70), came from the Galilean city of Capernaum and was the father of the apostles Jacob Alfeev and Matthew.

The Holy Martyrs Averky and Helena, according to legend, were the children of the holy Apostle Alpheus. For his confession of faith in Jesus Christ, Saint Averky was tied naked in the midst of a beekeeper and died a martyr from bee stings. His sister, Saint Helena, was stoned to death.

D) Rev. Elena Diveevskaya.

Elena Vasilievna Manturova (1805-1832) was born into a noble family. At the age of 17, she vowed to enter a monastery, and after three years of trials and preparation for monasticism, Father Seraphim of Sarov blessed her to enter the Diveevo Kazan community. In addition to general obediences, Elena always carried out the most difficult assignments of the priest - not only because she received a good education and, unlike many sisters, she was literate.
She also knew how to "reason with her heart", to distinguish between good and bad, and to do what pleases God. When the Mill Monastery was founded in the monastery, the priest appointed Elena Vasilyevna as the head of it. Elena received her last, most difficult obedience when her brother, Mikhail Vasilyevich Manturov, a benefactor of the Diveevo community and beloved disciple of St. Seraphim, fell seriously ill. “He needs to die, mother,” said Father Seraphim. - And I still need it for our monastery, for orphans. So here is obedience to you: you die for Mikhail Vasilievich!
“Bless, Father,” Elena Vasilievna humbly answered.
Returning home, she took to her bed and died a few days later. Memorial Day of the Reverend nun Elena is celebrated on June 10.

F) Astashkina (Astashikina) Elena Vasilievna - Martyr Elena.

The Monk Martyr Elena - in the world Elena Vasilievna Astashkina - was born in the village of Staroe Drakino, Narovchatsky district, Penza province in 1878 (according to some sources, 1882) into a peasant family. The family lived in abundance, but they did not know the excesses. From a young age, Elena was looking for a monastic feat and in 1895, with the blessing of her parents, she went to the monastery and became a novice of the Pokrovsky Shikhansky monastery in the Gorodishchensky district of the Penza province. For a long time she lived at the monastery on probation, undergoing various obediences, and only in 1913, by decree of the Spiritual Consistory, she was identified as a sister of the monastery. After some time, mother Elena was transferred to the Kazan Moksha Monastery. After the dissolution of this monastery in 1917, she returned to the village where she was born. She had her own house, and she managed the household on her own, but continued her monastic life and lived as a girl.

In 1932, mother Elena moved to the village of Shadym, Kovlkinsky district, Mordovian ASSR. Her cherished dream was to resume services in churches, so that church singing could be heard in them. She maintained friendly relations with the former inhabitants of closed monasteries, knew many priests.

In 1937, the nun Elena (Astashkina) was arrested and accused of being "an active participant in a counter-revolutionary church-monarchist organization" and of "carrying out defeatist and anti-collective farm agitation." She pleaded not guilty, during interrogations she only said that she was an Orthodox Christian and strives to live according to monastic vows. On August 5, 1937, a troika under the NKVD of the Mordovian ASSR sentenced nun Elena to capital punishment. On August 10, the sentence was carried out by firing squad. At the Jubilee Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000, nun Elena (Astashkina) was canonized as a saint.

HELENA HOLY - Byzantine empress, saint of the undivided Church, equal to the apostles.

About-is-ho-zh-de-nie Saint Helena is not-of-west-but, as well as whether she was for-the horse-wife of the emperor Con-stan-tion I Chlo-ra, from ko-ro-go ro-di-la son-on (about 274 years), bu-du-sche-th emperor Kon-stan-ti-na We-li-ko-go. According to some data, Kon-stan-tsy Chlorine signifies-chi-tel-but later the birth of Kon-stan-ti-na still ties-to-nil marriage with Saint Elena, one-on-one, on the order of the emperor Di-ok-le-tia-na ro-di-te-li Kon-stan-ti-na-whether once-ve-de-ny. Becoming im-pe-ra-to-rum, Kon-stan-tin elevated Saint Helen to the rank of au-gu-sta. Because of the news that Saint Elena, boo-du-chi chry-sti-an-koy, s-s-s-st-in-va-la dis-pro-country-non-nia chry-sti-an-st -va, at least, in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Around the year 326, Elena the Holy ob-re-la in Ie-ru-sa-li-me on Gol-go-fe Cross of the Lord-by-day and os-no-va-la at this place the Church of the Holy Sepulcher of the State -underneath. At the end of its builder-tel-st-va Zhiv-in-tvo-rya-shchy Cross of the Lord-on-the-day was to-the-same-st-ven-but out-of-the-seat in this temple and in another wives at Gol-go-fe. In honor of this event, the right-to-glorious church us-ta-no-vi-la feast of the Ascension of the Life of Life Kre-hundred Lord-under-nya, someone from-but-sit-sya to the number of ve-li-kih and celebrates on September 14 (27). In addition to mention-me-well-that-th temple, Elena the Holy built several more temples in the Holy Land, including on Mount El-on-sky, in Beth-lee-me and in Khev-ro-ne at Mam-vriy-sko-du-ba. Po-ki-nuv Pa-le-sti-nu in 327, on the way to Kon-stan-ti-no-pol, Elena the Holy -vu first christ-en-sky monastery of the Holy Cross in Ayia-sma-ti (Cyprus island). Before death, pri-nya-la mo-na-she-sky cut. Together with the son of Kon-stan-ti-n at the number of Tser-ko-view to the number of saints in the chi-not-equal-but-apo-stol-nyh, pa-meat so-ver-sha-et-sya on May 21 (June 3).

It is known that we are not one part of the relics of Helena the Holy One is in the church "Sacrifice-vein-nik Heavenly" (Rome), the other is in the church Saint Le Saint Gilles (Paris).

Iconography

Saint Helen is presented in the attire of the Byzantine im-per-rat-rits, with a valuable cloak-to-lo-rum, in a crown, sometimes her head -vu under the crown of the roof-va-et boards. The most-earliest Byzantine images of Helena the Saint presented-la-whether with a round sculpt-tu-ru (not-preserved-niv-shie-sya a statue of Helen the Holy on the fore-me Kon-stan-ti-na in Kon-stan-ti-no-po-le, pre-lo-zhi-tel-but the end of the 4th century, and paired statues of Saint Kon-stan-ti-na and Helena Saint, VIII century). In the early mo-zai-kah, these saints voz-de-you-mi ru-ka-mi under-der-zhi-wa-whether the medal-on with the Cross (in the temples of Saint So -fii in Kon-stan-ti-no-po-le, 870s, and Ai-wa-li-Ki-lis-se in Cap-pa-do-kii, 10th century). In the future, pre-ob-la-da-nie in-lu-chi-la com-po-zi-tion with a mo-well-men-tal cross, flan-ki-ro-van -ny front-tal-but race-po-lo-wife-ny-mi fi-gu-ra-mi saints Kon-stan-ti-on and Elena-na (fres-ska nar-tek-sa church- vi of the So-ro-ka mu-che-ni-kov monastery in Ve-li-ko-Tyr-no-vo, Bol-gar-ria, around 1230; -ti in So-fiysky so-bo-re in Nov-go-ro-de, 2nd half of the 11th century). The image of the holy meeting-cha-yut-sya in the same-those “Ob-re-te-nie of the Cross of the Lord of the Lord” (mi-nia-tu-ra “Slo -va Gri-go-ria Na-zi-an-zi-na ”, 879-882, National Library, Paris), better than ras-pro-country in Syriac, Western - European and post-Zanian art (free-ski church-way - St. Kon-stan-ti-na in Kri-tsa-Me-ra-be-lu on the island of Crete, 1354-1355 ; Holy Cross in Ayia-s-ma-ti on the island of Cyprus, 1494, master Phi-lipp Gul). In the Russian iko-no-pi-si fi-gu-ry of St. Kon-stan-ti-n and Helena, the Holy became an obligatory accessory to the iko-no-gra-fia of the Voz-dvi -zhe-niya Kre-hundred Lord-under-nya. After the arrival to Russia from Pa-le-sti-ny of the cross-hundred, for-ka-zan-no-go in 1656, pat-ri-ar-hom Ni-ko-nom for the Kre-st-no-go monastery on the Kiy-ost-ro-ve of the White Sea, the plot of the “Kyi cross with the standing-schi-mi” arose, where one hundred -we-would-be-a-pi-sa-na the saints Kon-stan-tin and Elena-na, Tsar Alex-this Mi-hai-lo-vich and Tsar-ri-tza Ma-riy Il- and-nothing-on, as well as co-le-but-pre-clo-nen-ny pat-ri-arch Nikon.

Type "re-li-to-va-ri-ev Is-tin-no-go Kre-hundred", on some pri-day-st-in-va-li rel-ef-ny fi-gu -ry of St. Kon-stan-ti-n and Helena the Holy, was ras-pro-country in Byzantine art, and then penetrated into Western Europe: 2 small re -li-k-va-riya-trip-ti-ha with part-ti-tsa-mi Is-tin-no-go Kre-sta, brought in 1154 from Kon-stan-ti- but-by-la ab-ba-tom Vi-bal-dom, co-sta-vi-li the central part of the larger large trip-ti-ha, more -ro-go uk-ra-she-ny scenes-on-mi from is-to-rii about-re-te-niya Kre-sta E. (XI-XII centuries, Library and Museum of P. Mor-ga -na, New York). From the end of the Middle-not-ve-ko-vy in Ev-ro-pe, Elena the Holy depicts-bra-m-e-s-sya as one of the acting-st-vu-ing faces of the same “Is-to-riya Is-tin-no-go Kre-st”, the literary basis of the howl of someone-ro-go in the service of “Gold-lo-taya le-gen-da” Yako-va Vo-ra-gin-sko-go. In-chi-ta-nie Kre-hundred, pro-ve-due-mine-shchen-st-vuyu-schi-mi or-de-na-mi, s-so-st-in-va-lo affirmation in the visual arts of life cycles on this topic (fresco by A. Gad-di in the church of San-ta-Cro-che in Flo- ren-tion, 1380-1390s, and Pierro del la Franche-ski in the church of San Franche-sko in Arezzo, 1452-1464; ti-ha Mi-ke-le di Mat-teo Lamber-ti-ni, about 1427, Ga-le-reya Aka-de-mi, Ve-ne-tion). In the art of Voz-ro-zh-de-niya and baroque-co meet-cha-yut-sya of the image of the brother of Helena the Holy in the imperial mantle and ko-ro-not with a cross, mi -nia-tyur-ny building-ni-em church-vi or nails-da-mi (J.B. Chi-ma da Ko-nel-ya-no, 1495, National Gallery of art-kus-st -va, Washing-ton, L. Kra-nah the Elder, 1525, Art Museum, Qing-ching-na-ti, statue of A. Bal-ji, 1639, Cathedral of the Saint Peter, Rome). In ka-che-st-ve sa-mo-sto-yatnyh plots iso-bra-zha-yut-sya “Vi-de-nie of St. Helena” (P. Ve-ro-ne-ze , 1570, National Gallery, London) and "Ob-re-te-nie Is-tin-no-go Cross" (P.P. Rubens, 1602, co-boron in Gras -se; J.B. Tie-po-lo, about 1745, Gallery of Aka-de-mi, Ve-net-tion).

Illustrations: