Equal-to-the-Apostles Helena, Equal-to-the-Apostles

Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helena was born around 250. She became the mother of the future Emperor Constantine the Great. After her son's conversion to Christianity and the issuing of the Edict of Milan (313), she too was baptized. In extreme old age, around 326, she undertook a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where excavations began at her command on the site of Golgotha. There the Life-Giving Cross on which the Savior was crucified was found, along with the Holy Sepulchre. At her initiative and expense, numerous churches were built at sites connected with Christ's earthly life, including the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) in Jerusalem and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. She died around 330. She is venerated together with her son, Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine, for their labors in establishing and spreading the Christian faith.