Righteous
Righteous Helena Of Serbia
ок. 1236 — 8 февраля 1314
Righteous Helena (of Anjou) — Queen of Serbia, wife of King Stefan Uroš I, mother of the holy kings Stefan Dragutin and Milutin. A Frenchwoman and Catholic by birth, she became a faithful daughter of the Orthodox Church; after her husband's death she devoted her life to charity and founded the monasteries of Gradac and Rečani.
Righteous Helena of Anjou (ca. 1236 — February 8, 1314) came from a French noble family connected to the dynasty of Charles I of Anjou, King of Sicily and Naples. Between 1245 and 1250 she married the Serbian king Stefan Uroš I and, embracing Orthodoxy, became a faithful daughter of the Serbian Church. After her husband's death she devoted herself to works of mercy: building homes for impoverished villagers and establishing convents for those wishing to live in purity and virginity. Near the town of Spič she built the Rečani Monastery, and she also founded Gradac Monastery, where she took monastic vows and was buried. She was the mother of the holy Serbian kings Stefan Dragutin (in monasticism Theoktistos) and Milutin. Her memory is celebrated on November 12/25 together with that of her sons.