Saint Helena (c.246-c.330)

Saint Helena was the mother of Roman emperor Constantine the Great,
She was born outside of the noble classes, a Greek, possibly in the Greek city of Drepana, Bithynia in Asia Minor.

Saint Helena ranks as an important figure in the history of Christianity, and of the world, because of her influence on her son, Constantine.

The parents of Constantine1 were Helena and emperor Constantius 1. There is uncertainty to whether they were actually married. Some scholars suggest they were joined in a common-law marriage, a cohabitation in fact but not in law, or whether they were joined in an official marriage, on the grounds that the sources claiming an official marriage are more reliable.

Constatius1 divorced Helena before 289. Helena and her son were dispatched to the court of Dicletian at Nicomedia, where he son grew to be a member of the inner circle.

When Constantius1 died in 306 Costantine 1 was proclaimed Augustus of the Roman Empire.

Following her son’s elevation Helena in 312 was brought back to public life, returning to the imperial court, She was appointed Augusta Imperatrix which gave her unlimited access to the imperial treasury in order to locate the relics of the Christian tradition.

According to Eusebuis her conversion to Christianity followed her son becoming emperor.

In 326-8, when Saint Helena was in her 80s , she under took a trip to Palestine.
She had heard an old legend that the True Cross - the cross Jesus was crucified , plus the other two, were buried near where the crucifixion actually happened…

With great pomp she went to Palestine. She founded a church at Bethlehem, another upon the Mount of Olives.
In Jerusalem, according to Eusebius, she had a temple to Venus or Jupiter destroyed. They them chose a site to excavate and found three crosses. Wanting to know which was Christ’s a sick woman was brought to the site. On touching the third cross she was healed.
(Read The True Cross and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre)

Sozomen and Theodoret claim that Saint Helena found two of the nails of the crucifixion - one was placed in her son’s helmet the other in his horse’s bridal.

In 327/8 she left Jerusalem and took large parts of the True Cross back to Rome which were stored in her palace’s private chapel.

Saint Helena died around 330 and was buried in the Mausoleum of Helena , outside Rome, on the Via Labicana.

Constatine1 later founded the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

The invention of the Cross is celebrated on 3rd May.

Source used
Wikipedia