Majestic Elena. Icon of Saint Helen

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What does the icon of St. Helena help with?

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The icon of St. 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 remain in it for centuries, turning into one of the most revered images. It contains the soul of the people, their pain and suffering, difficult periods of formation and faith, which, having gone through a long and difficult path, has become a symbol of all Christianity.

Icon of Helen Equal to the Apostles

The mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, Helen, like himself, can be called the most outstanding 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 return their relics and shrines, and 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 Cross of the Lord.

Icon of Saint Helena, meaning, what it helps with

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 carry out his work 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 assistance in the revival of Christianity and a sign that it will always exist as long as there are people who, through their faith and righteous deeds, carry it in their hearts, as they carry the word of God, and it is eternal on earth.

What does the Icon of St. Helena help with?

Along with many Orthodox icons, the face has enormous 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 had no equal. This is a great Christian example of how a righteous deed in the name of the Almighty becomes the road to eternal life, for faith for a person is everything: his strength, love, fidelity and repentance.

Thousands of Christians still come to the icon today in order to raise their prayers to ask for help and gain strength for struggle and development. The face helps in such matters and life situations:

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

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

The image is also very revered among agricultural workers and ordinary Christians working on the land. It is believed to help increase harvest and fertility, which in turn will bring prosperity to all who have worked for the good.

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

They turn to the Saint for protection with these words:

About the wonderful and all-praised king, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen! To you, as a warm intercessor, we offer our unworthy prayers, for you have great boldness towards the Lord. Ask Him for the peace of the Church and prosperity for the whole world, wisdom for the ruler, care for the flock for the shepherd, humility for the flock, desired peace for the elders, strength for husbands, beauty for women, purity for virgins, obedience for children, Christian education for babies, healing for the sick, reconciliation for those at war, patience for the offended, those who offend the fear of God. To those who come to this temple and pray in it, a holy blessing and everything useful for each request, let us praise and sing the Benefactor of all God in the Trinity of the glorified Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The icon of Queen Helen Equal to the Apostles is a true 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 a person’s thoughts and deeds does his future lie. It is important to always remember that the faith that the Lord gives must be increased and shared among others; you need to understand that only the right deed, aimed at good and supported by God’s grace, will have the result that every Christian strives for.

May the Lord protect you!

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

Icon of Helen of Serbia

Icon of Helen of Serbia - this is the image of a great martyr, deeply revered in Orthodoxy. Through prayers to Saint Helena, every true believer can find happiness and change their life for the better.

The shrine of St. Helena, Queen of Serbia, is of great importance for the entire Christian people. Despite her title, the great ruler led a righteous life, did selfless good and showed pure mercy towards people of any class and origin. The miraculous icon of Helen of Serbia contains the image of a truly infallible and virtuous follower of God. The shrine is endowed with unlimited power and works real miracles. It is important to have at least a small idea of ​​the earthly life of the Orthodox saint in order to verify the pure and genuine miraculous power of the icon painted in honor of the saint of the Lord.

The life story of Elena Serbska

The life path of the Orthodox martyr falls on the XIII-XIV centuries. Already at birth she received the hereditary title of Princess of France and professed the Catholic religion. Having become the wife of the heir to the Serbian throne, Uros I, Elena was crowned, and then converted to Orthodoxy.

The holy righteous woman quickly gained fame and love from people, going down in history as one of the most kind-hearted and supportive rulers. Throughout her life, the Orthodox martyr provided assistance to the poor and widows, and never spared food for the malnourished and needy. The queen's generosity was immeasurable: she helped people living in poverty and hunger with money. Saint Helena took the initiative in the construction of new churches and monasteries and actively participated in the process of their construction. The Christian was never a supporter of wars or struggles for power; she always resolved conflicts peacefully, amicably preventing civil strife.

Shortly before the end of her earthly life, Saint Helena voluntarily accepted monasticism. Being a nun, the Queen of Serbia met her death with dignity, dying in the Gradac monastery, built under Her leadership. The body of the martyr was buried according to all the laws of Christianity. Three years later, Her remains were discovered completely untouched by time. Only after the discovery of the holy undying relics, by the decision of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Saint Helena was canonized.

Where are the relics and miraculous image of St. Helena located?

The icon of the Great Martyr Helen adorns many Serbian churches and monasteries.

The most important and sacred place where Christians pay homage to the saint is the Gradac Monastery. It was there that the righteous queen died and was buried. Ancient 14th-century frescoes with the image of the holy ruler are located in the Serbian monastery of Gracanica.

Unfortunately, in Russia there are no independent icons of the great Helen of Serbia. But you can offer prayers and honors before the face of the righteous woman in the Moscow Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, where the icon “Cathedral of Saint Helens” is kept. The shrine depicts four martyrs of Helen, one of them is the Serbian ruler.

Description of the icon of Helen of Serbia

Independent icons usually depict the image of a woman in an expensive royal robe, on Her head is a crown decorated with precious stones, indicating the lifetime title of saint. In her right hand, Elena holds a cross, which is a symbol of the life and rebirth of Christ. The palm of the other hand of the righteous woman is open and raised upward. This gesture speaks of the truthfulness and sincerity of the martyr, of Her selfless intentions and openness to people. You can also find the image of Saint Helena depicted on the icon along with her sons.

How does a miraculous image help?

During her lifetime, Elena Serbskaya cared for, protected and helped the poor, as well as people deprived of relatives and friends. Therefore, in prayers before the miraculous face, Christians ask for support and help with financial difficulties. People also turn to the saint for healing from various diseases.

The shrine of Helen of Serbia is the intercessor of orphans, helping them build a happy life. The righteous woman also protects women named Elena and protects them from evil and misfortune.

Days of celebration

Prayer to Saint Helena in front of the icon

It is not customary to say many words in front of the sacred image of Helena of Serbia. Usually the prayer consists of one or two sentences, containing the main meaning of your appeal to the martyr. The words of the prayer might sound like this:

“Great righteous woman, Elena! Offer a prayer for us to the Lord, for the remission of our sins and beg Him for forgiveness. I turn to Your image in prayer, hear me, give me Your support and help, and do not leave me in difficult moments of life. Amen".

All Christians remember Saint Helena as a righteous ruler and a sincere woman who helped everyone. Do not forget to read prayers addressed to the Pleasant of God on All Saints' Day or on any other great holiday. By honoring the memory of the saints, you bring yourself closer to the Lord, His love and protection. We wish you peace in your soul. be happy and don't forget to press the buttons and

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Prayers to the Saints

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

Queen Equal to the Apostles Helen of Constantinople is the mother of Tsar Constantine. The first merit of Queen Helena was that she endeared her son Constantine to the Christian faith, and through this gradually the entire Roman world became Christian. The second merit of Queen Helena is the erection of the Holy Cross and the construction of now famous and iconic churches in the Holy Land. Through her efforts, the Church of the Resurrection (and the Holy Sepulcher) was built on Calvary, where the Holy Fire descends annually on Easter night; on the Mount of Olives (where the Lord ascended to 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, philanthropists 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 the admonition of non-believers and sectarians. She is prayerfully commemorated together with her Equal-to-the-Apostles son Constantine.

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

Troparion to the Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and Queen Helena, tone 8

Having seen the image of Thy Cross in Heaven and, like Paul, the title is not received from man, Thy apostle has become a king, O Lord, put the reigning city in Thy hand, which you always save in the world through the prayers of the Mother of God, who alone loves mankind.

Kontakion of Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and Queen Helena, tone 3

Constantine today with the Mother Helena the Cross is revealed, an all-honorable tree, a shame for all Jews, and a weapon against faithful people: for for our sake a great sign has appeared and a terrible sign in battle.

First prayer to Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and Queen Helena

About the wonderful and all-praised king, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen! To you, as a warm intercessor, we offer our unworthy prayers, for you have great boldness towards the Lord. Ask Him for peace for the Church and prosperity for the whole world. Wisdom for the ruler, care for the flock for the shepherd, humility for the flock, desired repose for the elder, strength for the husband, beauty for the wife, purity for the virgin, obedience for the child, Christian education for the baby, healing for the sick, reconciliation for the offended, patience for the offended, fear of God for the offended. To those who come to this temple and pray in it, a holy blessing and everything useful for each request, let us praise and sing the Benefactor of all God in the Trinity of the glorified Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Second prayer to Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and Queen Helena

About Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen! Deliver this parish and our temple from every slander of the enemy, and do not forsake us, the weak, through your intercession ( names), beg the goodness of Christ our God to grant us peace of mind, abstinence from destructive passions and all filth, and unfeigned piety. Ask us, pleasers of God, from above for the spirit of meekness and humility, the spirit of patience and repentance, so that we may live the rest of our life in faith and contrition of heart, and so at the hour of our death we will gratefully praise the Lord who glorified you, the Father Without Beginning, His Only Begotten Son and the Consubstantial All-Blessed One. Spirit, the Indivisible Trinity, forever and ever. Amen.

Akathist to King Constantine and Queen Helen of Constantinople:

Canon of Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and Queen Helena of Constantinople:

Hagiographic and scientific-historical literature about Queen Helen, Equal to the Apostles:

• Queen Equal to the Apostles Helen of Constantinople– Pravoslavie.Ru

Read other prayers in the "Orthodox Prayer Book" section

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Prayers to Helen Equal to the Apostles

They turn to Saint Helena in prayer for help:

In financial matters

In matters at work

In maintaining peace in the family

In maintaining health and healing from illness.

Prayer text

About the wonderful and all-praised king, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen!

To you, as a warm intercessor, we offer our unworthy prayers, for you have great boldness towards the Lord.

Ask Him for the peace of the Church and prosperity for the whole world, wisdom for the ruler, care for the flock for the shepherd, humility for the flock, the desired repose of the elders,

Strength for husbands, splendor for women, purity for virgins, obedience for children, Christian education for children, healing for the sick, reconciliation for those at war, patience for the offended, fear of God for the offended.

To those who come to this temple and pray in it, a holy blessing and everything useful for each request, let us praise and sing the Benefactor of all God in the Trinity of the glorified Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Prayer to Saint Helena

Where to pray to Saint Helena?

According to the Orthodox tradition, you can correctly pray to Saint Helena both at home and in church. In which church is it best to pray to St. Helena? It is best, from a Christian point of view, to pray to Saint Helena in a temple built and consecrated in her honor. However, finding just such a church in your city may be difficult. Therefore, Orthodox tradition recommends praying to Saint Helena in those churches where there is her icon or a particle of her relics. The Christian Church does not provide a special prayer formula or a special ritual for converting to Saint Helena. Although, you can find collections of prayers that also contain a prayer to Saint Helena. If you do not have the opportunity or time to visit church to pray to St. Helena, then you can pray at home, on your own.

March 19 and June 3 are commemorated Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Queen Helena (c. 250-330), mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. Helen raised her son in Christianity and contributed greatly to the fact that Constantine later made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire. Queen Helena did a lot to spread Christianity in other countries. At the age of about 80, she made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where she conducted excavations at the sites of the execution and burial of Jesus Christ. Among the shrines 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, Helen founded several churches in the Holy Land, of which the most famous throughout the world is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. On her 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 the enlightener of Georgia Nina).

An interesting story is connected with the movement of the relics of St. Queen Helena from Rome to France. As Nikolai Nikishin, a cleric of the Three Hierarchs' Metochion of the Moscow Patriarchate in Paris, says, today the relics are in one of the Catholic churches on the main street of Paris, dotted with low-grade entertainment establishments. Initially, the relics were kept in the Church of the Hieromartyrs 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 learned 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 Helena its founder (since she founded the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem). This is how the relics ended up in the Church of Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles in Paris, where they are still kept in a sarcophagus suspended high under the arches. History contains many testimonies of miraculous healings of people who turned their prayers to Queen Helen, Equal-to-the-Apostles. 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 Queen Helena). Olga, just like Queen Elena, contributed greatly to bringing Christianity to her land. After the death of her husband, Prince Igor, Olga herself ruled Kievan Rus, rejecting offers of remarriage. She took on the burden of government 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, was able to strengthen the country's defense power, and introduced a unified tax system. Olga's baptism in Constantinople predetermined the adoption of Christianity by the entire ancient Russian people (the baptism of Rus' took place under her grandson Vladimir, whom Olga raised in the Christian faith). Memorial Day of Princess Olga (St. Helena) - July 24.

Another Saint Helen - Blessed Helen of Serbia(date of death - February 8, 1314), wife of King Stefan Urosh I Nemanjic. She raised two sons, the future kings of Serbia - the holy saints Milutin and Dragutin. Helen became famous for her patronage of the poor and orphans. In her yard in Brnjaci she founded a school for orphan girls, where she taught them faith, literacy and handicrafts. When they grew up, she provided them with a rich dowry and married them off. Elena built houses for impoverished villagers, established monasteries for those who wanted to live in purity and virginity, and made generous donations to churches and monasteries. Before her death, she accepted monasticism with the name Elisaveta. She was buried in her monastery - the Gradac Monastery in Serbia. Three years after the burial, when it was discovered that the queen's body remained incorrupt, the Serbian Orthodox Church canonized Helena. Until the beginning of the 17th century, the relics of St. Helena of Serbia were kept in the Gradac church, and today they are located in Montenegro, near the city of Herceg Novi, in a monastery founded by St. Sava of Serbia. The memory of Helen of Serbia is celebrated on November 12 - the day when her holy relics were found incorrupt.

Few people can be indifferent to history. Venerable 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 testing and preparation for monasticism, Father Seraphim of Sarov blessed her to enter the Diveyevo Kazan community. In addition to general obediences, Elena always carried out the most difficult orders of her father - not only because she received a good education and, unlike many sisters, knew how to read and write.

She also knew how to “reason with her heart,” distinguish good from bad, and do what pleases God. When the Mill Monastery was founded in the monastery, the priest appointed Elena Vasilyevna as its head. Elena received her last, most difficult obedience when her brother, Mikhail Vasilyevich Manturov, the benefactor of the Diveyevo community and the beloved disciple of St. Seraphim, became seriously ill. “He needs to die, mother,” said Father Seraphim. “But I still need it for our monastery, for the orphans.” So this is your obedience: die for Mikhail Vasilyevich!” “Bless me, Father,” Elena Vasilievna humbly answered.

Returning home, she took to her bed and died a few days later. The day of remembrance of the Venerable nun Elena is celebrated on June 10.

Christian history remembers another Helen - but no longer as an ascetic who knew how to light a spiritual fire in hearts, but, on the contrary, as a violator of a thousand-year-old tradition. As you know, a woman never sets foot on the land of Athos. However, history knows one exception, and her name is Elena. In 1347, King Stefan Urosh IV Dusan of Serbia and Queen Helena 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 first place in popularity. Today the name Elena has lost its former position - in the 2000s it does not even make it into the top ten most common female names.

C Arisa Elena, mother of Constantine the Great, was the daughter of an innkeeper. For her beautiful appearance and high spiritual qualities, Emperor Constantius Chlorus, while still a military leader, chose her as his wife. They lived happily for a long time, but then political circumstances became the cause of Elena’s family misfortune. Emperor Diocletian and his co-ruler Maximian Herculus, leaving the throne, divided the empire between four co-rulers, whom they wanted to unite with each other through family ties. As a result of this, Constantius Chlorus, one of the new rulers, despite the fact that he was already married, was offered a new wife, from the royal family - the stepdaughter of Emperor Maximian, who left the kingdom.

For fear of losing power, Constantius did not resist, and Helen was sacrificed to political calculations and removed from the court. With the loss of her beloved husband, she had to be separated from her only son, eleven-year-old Constantine, who was taken to the court of Diocletian in the East. After this, Elena spent fifteen years in deep solitude. The misfortune of being deprived of family joys disposed her soul to accept Christ’s teaching, so joyful for all those burdened with heavy grief.

With the accession of her son, Elena again appears at court. Here she enjoys imperial honors and gains influence over Constantine. Without interfering in politics, Elena devotes herself entirely to good deeds. The queen proved herself to be a zealous patroness of the church, an ardent zealot of Christian shrines, and a benefactor of the poor and suffering.

Already in old age, Elena, at the request of her son Constantine, went from Rome to Jerusalem in order to find the holy cross on which the Lord was crucified. With zeal she hurried to the east and with royal care surveyed the holy land and other eastern provinces, cities and villages. It was difficult to imagine anything sadder and more dismal than the countries once given to Abraham and his descendants as an earthly paradise. The last Roman conquest left them in such a pitiful state. On the ruins of the city of David, a new city was built, everywhere decorated with pagan temples and other monuments of idolatry. On the very spot where Solomon's temple had previously stood, a pagan temple now stood; places consecrated by the birth and death of the Savior were also desecrated by pagan temples. Blessed Helena zealously took care of the cleansing of holy places and bringing them into proper order. Bishop Macarius, who was in Jerusalem at that time, received the queen with due honor and helped a lot in her pious activities.

Helen's first desire, upon arriving in Jerusalem, was to visit the tomb of the Savior. “Let’s go,” she said, “to honor the place where His sacred feet stopped walking.” But to her great surprise, no one could accurately indicate this place. For a long time, the pagans filled up the cave in which Christ was buried. Little by little, Christians themselves stopped visiting the tomb of the Savior, for fear of showing any respect to the objects of idolatry deliberately placed by the pagans in the holy place. In addition, as a result of the political upheavals that took place in Jerusalem, as well as fires and devastation, even the very location of the city has changed greatly.

But Elena did not retreat in the face of such obstacles. The most educated of Christians and Jews, at the request of the queen and in her personal presence, carried out an investigation and search for the place of Christ’s suffering. They say that a Jew, who inherited from his ancestors the secret of Christian holy places, rendered great services. This Jew suggested where to find the cross of the Lord.

When the place was determined, Elena, at the head of the workers and soldiers, hurried there and ordered the soil to be dug. The work presented great difficulties, since it was necessary to destroy a considerable number of buildings rising on Calvary Hill and its environs. But Elena had orders from Constantine not to retreat in the face of obstacles and not to spare any costs. Finally, in the depths of the hill, three wooden crosses were found, completely intact. No one doubted that these crosses were instruments of execution of the Lord and the two thieves crucified with Him. But on which of the three crosses did Christ the Savior suffer?

At this time, it happened that they were carrying one person past for burial. Bishop Macarius, filled with firm faith, immediately ordered the funeral procession to stop and lay the body of the deceased near the found crosses. Then all those present, the queen and the bishop himself, fell to their knees. Macarius, raising his eyes to heaven, said: “Lord, who accomplished the salvation of the human race through the suffering of His only begotten Son on the cross and inspired Your humble servant to seek the sacred tree, the instrument of our salvation, - now Lord Himself, show us that cross that served for eternal to the glory of Your only begotten Son: grant, O merciful Lord, life to this Your servant when the sacred and saving tree touches him!” After this, they began to place crosses on the dead man one by one, and as soon as they laid the true cross of Christ on him, the deceased immediately stood up.

When the Lord witnessed His cross with this miracle, Elena, filled with joy and at the same time fear, hastily approached the sacred tree. With a feeling of deepest reverence, she bowed before the shrine. The whole royal court that was with her did the same. And everyone present wanted to see the cross of Christ, but, due to great crowding, many could not approach it; they began to ask to be allowed to look at the instrument of Christ’s execution at least from afar. Then Bishop Macarius stood on the highest place and erected an honest cross in front of the people, raising and lowering it so that everyone could bow to it. All the people reverently exclaimed: “Lord have mercy!” In memory of this event, the Church subsequently established the celebration of the Exaltation of the Venerable Cross, celebrated on September 14 (27).

Meanwhile, Constantine, whom Elena immediately informed about the discovery of the Cross of the Lord, received this news with indescribable joy. The emperor immediately wrote a letter to the bishop of Jerusalem, asking him to take care of the construction of the church on the site where the life-giving cross was found, and for this purpose placing at his disposal all the treasures of the empire. A temple in the name of the Resurrection of Christ grew there. In addition, Helen began to build other churches - over the cave of Bethlehem, where the Savior was born, on the Mount of Olives, from where He ascended to heaven, in Gethsemane, where the Dormition of the Virgin Mary took place. Having established many temples in different places in Palestine, supplying them with sacred accessories and decorating them, Helen returned to Constantinople, taking with her part of the life-giving cross and the nails found along with the cross, with which the body of the Lord was nailed.

Having learned about his mother’s return, Konstantin immediately went to meet her. Their meeting was the most touching. The love that Konstantin always felt for his mother seemed to intensify even more after the events described. The troops and all citizens of the empire were ordered to call Helen by the most honorable names, which were then customary to call only reigning persons. Her image was embossed on coins. But Elena did not live long after this.

Feeling the approach of death, she gave advice and blessings to Constantine and his son, her grandson Constantius: she exhorted them to rule the people fairly, to do good, not to be arrogant, but to serve the Lord with fear and trembling. The queen died at the age of about eighty, in the arms of her son and grandson, surrounded by the love and respect of all Christians. Her burial was performed with great pomp.

The Church canonized Queen Helena and named her Equal-to-the-Apostles. The celebration of her memory was established on the same day as the honoring of St. Constantine on May 21 (June 3).

Bearers of the name and their loved ones should familiarize themselves with the dates of name days, church customs and traditions, find out what it costs to give on non-name days, how to congratulate birthday girls and know the meaning of the name.

If we open the church calendar, we will see that in general the name has a name day date in the year. However, each bearer of the name has only one angel day - it is celebrated on the name day date that coincides with the birthday, or is closest to it.

Name day dates:

• 28 Jan – Great Martyr Elena;
• 12 Nov. – Elena Serbskaya;
• 17 Sep. – New Martyr Elena Chernova;
• Aug 10 – nun Elena Astashikina;
• 24 ill. – Grand Duchess of Russia (Elena in baptism);
• 10 in. - Rev. Elena Diveevskaya;
• 8 in. - Martyr Helen;
• 7 in. - Martyr Elena Korobkova;
• 3 in. – Helen of Constantinople, queen, equal to the apostles;
• 19 mrt. - Helen of Constantinople, Equal to the Apostles, queen.

In the church form, the name Elena does not change and remains in its original form, which is familiar to us.

Origin of the name

This beautiful female name appeared in our language from ancient Greece. Its meaning is usually interpreted as follows: sunlight, sunbeam, chosen one, light. In Greek mythology, a heroine named Helen was the most beautiful of all women.

This girl is distinguished by her kindness; in a society she entered not so long ago and has not yet made friends, she may show shyness. The situation changes when she gets into her close circle of relatives or friends - in this society the girl becomes cheerful, active, and inventive in all sorts of fun.

In the company of peers, he likes to show leadership qualities and often gives them all kinds of commands and assignments. However, there is no manifestation of authority in this - she does this solely out of internal mischief.

Her inner world is dominated by seriousness and creativity. She loves to read prose and poetry, often writing the latter herself, in a notebook, which she hides from everyone, and loves to listen to exciting and mystical stories at dusk.

Such character traits will remain in Lena into adulthood, although they can hide deep inside. Outwardly, she will become stricter and more serious, and only on themed holidays or when she is in a great mood will she organize various pranks and fun.

Stories of saints with this name

History has preserved many details of the lives of various saints bearing the female name Elena. Among these people were famous historical figures who influenced the development of many events.

Princess Olga (Elena)

This is the famous Russian Princess, whose years of ruling ancient Russia fell on the years 945-960. It is noteworthy that she is the first Russian ruler to convert to Orthodoxy even before the famous baptism of Rus' took place. Princess Olga (Elena) is an Equal-to-the-Apostles saint of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The princess introduced a system of graveyards, on which churches were subsequently built. She also became the founder of stone urban planning in Rus'. In 955, according to the Tale of Bygone Years, she was baptized in Constantinople. She tried to convince her son, Svyatoslav, to also convert to Orthodoxy.

Also, according to the tale of bygone years, Helen was baptized personally by the Emperor of Constantinople, Constantine the seventh Porphyrogenitus, and Patriarch Theophylact.

Queen Helen of Constantinople

Helen was the mother of Constantine the Great, Roman Emperor. Being an adherent of the Christian faith, she raised her son in Christianity, trying to raise the future ruler in such a way that Christianity would become the state religion during his reign.

She also had a great influence on the spread of Christianity beyond the borders of the Roman Empire. In her old age (about 80 years old), she organized large-scale excavations at the sites of the execution and burial of Christ, where she found a life-giving cross and four nails. Over the years of her life she became the founder of many temples. We can say that this woman dedicated her life to the promotion of faith. She was canonized for her own enormous services to religion.