HELENA, the name of several female saints of the Catholic church, the most cele brated of whom is the empress Helena, wife of Coastantius Chlorus, and mother of Con stantine the great. The place of her birth is a subject of controversy: according to one account, she was born in Bithynia; but the English church historians commonly claim her as a native of Britain, to which opinion some probability is added from the fact, that her first-born son, Constantine, was born in that country. She became a Christian during the youth of Constantine, and it is thought not unlikely that her example and hei teaching co-operated with public motives in determining Constantine to embrace thn Christian religion. It was not, however, till after the defeat of Maxentius that Helena formallyreceived baptism. She was at this time far advanced in years; but she survived her baptism for a considerable time, and deserved the gratitude of the Christian com munity by her zeal for the advancement of religion, and her many acts of piety and munificence. Among the public events of her Christian life, recorded by Catholic his
torians, the most remarkable is the discovery (according to the belief of the time) of the cross of our Lord (see HOLY PLACES). She died in the year 328"; or, according to another account, in 326.—Two other royal or princely ladies of the same name are honored as saints. The first, whose honors are confined to the Russian church, was the wife of the grand duke Igor. and at her baptism in Constantinople (935), changed her original name, Olga, into Helena. She is held in the highest reputation for sanctity in the Russian church: The other was a native of Skofde, in west Gothland, and lived in the 12th century.