Helena, the Emperor’s Mother, and Her Zeal for the Holy Church

The bearer of these letters was no less illustrious a person than the emperor’s mother. She was glorious in her son, and her piety was praised by all; it was she who brought that great light into the world and raised him in piety. She did not shrink from the hardship of the journey in spite of her extreme old age, but undertook it a little before her death, which came in her eightieth year. [a]

When the empress saw the place where the Savior suffered, she at once ordered the idol temple that had been built there to be torn down, and the very earth on which it stood to be removed. When the tomb, hidden so long, was uncovered, three crosses were seen buried near the Lord’s grave. Everyone took it as certain that one of these crosses was the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that the other two were those of the thieves crucified with him. Yet they could not tell to which of the three the Lord’s body had been brought near, and which had received the outpouring of his precious blood. But the wise and holy Macarius, who presided over the church of the city, settled the question in this way. He had a lady of rank, who had long been suffering from disease, touched by each of the crosses, with earnest prayer, and so he discerned the power that lay in the Savior’s cross. For the instant this cross was brought near the lady, it drove out the severe disease and made her well. [c]

When the emperor’s mother learned that her wish had been fulfilled, she ordered some of the nails to be set into the royal helmet, so that her son’s head might be kept safe from the weapons of his enemies. The rest of the nails she had made into the bridle of his horse, not only to keep the emperor safe but also to fulfill an ancient prophecy. For long before, Zechariah the prophet had foretold, “There will be on the bridles of the horses: Holiness to the Lord Almighty.” [d] She had part of our Savior’s cross taken to the palace. The rest was enclosed in a silver case and entrusted to the bishop of the city, and she urged him to guard it carefully, so that it might be handed down unharmed to later generations. Then she sent everywhere for workmen and materials and had the most spacious and magnificent churches built. There is no need to describe their beauty and grandeur, for all the devout, if I may put it so, hurry there and see the splendor of the buildings for themselves. [e]

This famous and admirable empress did another thing worth remembering. She gathered all the women who had vowed lifelong virginity and had them recline on couches. Then she herself did the work of a servant, waiting on them with food, handing them cups and pouring out wine, and bringing a basin and pitcher and pouring water for them to wash their hands. After these and other praiseworthy acts, the empress went back to her son. Not long afterward she joyfully passed into the other and better life, having given her son much godly advice and her heartfelt parting blessing. After her death her memory received the honors that her steadfast and zealous service to God deserved. [g]