August 18 | Saint Helena

Welcome, young history buffs and curious minds, to My Daily Saint, the podcast that digs deep into the incredible lives of the saints, those remarkable people who shaped history and continue to inspire us today. Forget dusty old portraits and boring stories. Today, imagine being born into the lowest working class of the ancient Roman Empire, spending your youth sweeping out dirt and working as a lowly stablemaid. Then, imagine catching the eye of a powerful Roman official, marrying into high society, and giving birth to a boy who will literally change the course of world history.

But wait, the plot twists. Your husband dumps you for political power, leaving you behind. Fast forward a few decades. Your son becomes the emperor of the entire Roman world, crowns you as royalty, and you go on a massive, epic treasure hunt in the Middle East, eventually uncovering the most famous artifact in Christian history. This is the story of Saint Helena.

Saint Helena has a life story that sounds like a Hollywood movie script. Because of the incredible ups and downs of her life, she is the patron saint of some very specific and diverse groups, difficult marriages, divorced people, converts, and archaeologists. You'll see exactly how she earned that last title in just a minute.

Let's start at the beginning. Saint Helena was born in the mid-third century and was a Roman citizen. We don't know a ton about her early life, but historical speculation tells us she was working as a stablemaid as a young woman. Despite her difficult, working-class status, Helena was known for her incredible beauty, her modesty, and her virtue.

These amazing qualities completely captivated a young Roman official named Constantius Chloris. He was so enamored with her that, despite their massive class differences, he took Helena as his wife. Together, they had a son named Constantine. As Constantius rose through the ranks of the Roman military and earned the highly prestigious title of Caesar, he made a cold, calculated choice. He divorced Helena so that he could marry the emperor's stepdaughter. Helena was suddenly cast aside and abandoned. But she didn't just walk away from her family.

She stayed in the Balkans so she could remain near her son, Constantine. Eventually, Constantius became the senior emperor, and Constantine followed his father to Britain for a military battle. During this campaign, Constantius died, and Constantine was declared the new emperor. What was Constantine's very first action as the most powerful man in the world? He immediately brought his mother to a place of honor and officially crowned her Augusta, making her royalty.

Shortly after her son elevated her to the throne, Helena converted to Christianity, and she used her powerful new position to care for the poor. She also fiercely supported her son, who went on to issue the famous Edict of Milan, a historic decree that finally gave religious freedom to Christians across the empire. But tragedy was lurking right around the corner. In a dark, shocking turn of events, Emperor Constantine ordered the killing of his own son and his second wife. Helena was absolutely devastated and deeply grieved by these violent actions within her own family.

Seeking spiritual healing, the aging empress decided to go on a massive pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Once she arrived, she ordered the construction of two great basilicas. One was built in Bethlehem to honor the Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus, and the other was built on the Mount of Olives at the place of the crucifixion.

And here is where she becomes the patron saint of archaeologists. During the construction of the basilica on the Mount of Olives, under Helena's careful watch, workers uncovered something buried in the earth, the relics of the cross of Christ.

But how could they know for sure it was the true cross? They performed a miraculous test. They brought a dead body and laid it on the wood. Miraculously, the dead body was raised to life again. Helena also recovered three nails from the cross, which she gave to her son Constantine, and remarkably, those nails can still be seen today. St. Helena died a year later, in 329, at an unknown location. But Constantine brought her body back to Rome, where she was officially buried.

Because of her incredible life, artists usually depict her holding a cross and wearing a crown. Today, if you are dealing with drama in your family, or if someone close to you lets you down, you can follow Helena's example. When things get difficult at home, be a rock of faith and kindness for the people around you, just like St. Helena. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.