In the great assembly of the holy saints of God onlyfew were canonized as saints. Only special services to the church, placed on the same level with the apostles, allowed them to receive this honor. One of those whose earthly ministry was so highly appreciated was Saint Helena. For centuries, the icon with its image was one of the most revered Orthodox shrines.
The young daughter of the inn owner
Кто же она, святая равноапостольная царица Елена, an icon which is found in most Russian churches and attracts crowds of believers? To answer this question, let us open the life of the holy servant of God, compiled a short time after her blessed death, and those few works of ancient historians that have described her glorious deeds that have come down to us.
About 250 years in the Asian city of BethanyThe owner of the local inn was a daughter who helped him serve the visitors. This was the future saint Elena. The icon of this equal Queen of the Apostles represents to us today the image of a majestic woman who fixed her inner gaze on the mountain world, and in those times she was still a simple girl who did not think of the great mission ahead of her. And, as has happened at all times, one day she fell in love.
A happy but suddenly broken marriage
Her chosen one, the young Roman warrior ConstantiusChlorine, reciprocated, and soon their union was sealed by marriage. The couple called their first child Constantine. This child - the fruit of their first love - was also subsequently canonized in the face of equal to the apostles, like his mother, Saint Helena. The icon with their image is always taken out of the church altar on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, celebrated on September 27.
Their serene family life came to an end whenEmperor Diocletian, who reigned in those years, appointed Chlorus to be the ruler of vast colonies, and demanded that he break up the marriage and marry his stepdaughter Theodore. Chlorine could not for the sake of the woman he loved to abandon his brilliant career, and their union fell apart.
However, evil is punished not only in novels.and plays. Very soon, the traitor regretted what he had done, since his young wife, along with his numerous relatives, turned his family life into such a nightmare that he had to fight back from them with the help of his personal guard.
Convert Christian
А тем временем Елена, оставленная мужем, settled in the city of Drepanum. The choice was not accidental - there lived and studied her martial art, her son already matured by that time. It so happened, and God's Providence is clearly visible in this, that there was a large Christian community in the city. Followers of the true faith confessed it in secret, since in those years it was still banned.
Посещая их собрания и слушая проповедников, Елена over time, she comprehended the depth of her new teachings and was baptized by a local presbyter. Since that time, she began a long path of spiritual growth, the result of which was the mission, the fulfillment of which allowed her to shine in the face of equal saints.
Empress Helen
Years passed, and Constantius Chlorus died - formerElena's husband. At the end of his life, he was the ruler of the Western lands of the Roman Empire, appointed to this post by Diocletian, who once elevated him to the price of family happiness. After the death of his father, the son of Elena Konstantin took his place, making a serious competition to the emperor Maximian who ruled in those years. Their political confrontation resulted in an open war, having won in which Constantine became the sole ruler of the Great Roman Empire.
One of his first state acts wasan edict, in which Christianity received legal status. This document put an end to the almost three centuries of Roman persecution of the church. After becoming emperor, Constantine called his mother to the capital and elevated her to the rank of Augustus, that is, the empress and his co-ruler.
On the path of serving God
However, a wise and vanityless woman, knowinghowever transient earthly glory happens, she used the opportunities opened before her not for her own personal good, but for the ministry of the church. According to her order and her money in the empire, which had not yet recovered from pagan sleep, Christian churches were built and new communities were created. But the main mission, which St. Helena was to fulfill, was waiting ahead.
An icon whose value is expressed by the plot itself.the composition represents the empress equal to the apostles next to the Cross of the Lord she gained. It is in this find, which has become the greatest shrine of the entire Orthodox world, lies its historical merit.
Start the execution of the great mission
The Life of Saint Helena narrates that,she grieved her heart at the reproach that the Romans had inflicted on Jerusalem, capturing him in 70 and destroying everything that was connected with Christ’s earthly life, she went to Palestine to find the Life-bearing Tree on which the Savior had been crucified.
Empress Helen was already over seventy when in326 year, after boarding the ship, she sailed to the shores of the Holy Land. The task that she set for herself was unusually difficult. For the past centuries, Jerusalem did not belong, as before, to the Jews, but was dominated by pagans. Even on the place where Christ was once crucified, stood the temple of Venus.
Finding the Cross of the Lord
By the way, this place itself was found with greatlabor, because no one knew exactly where to look for him. It was only thanks to the help of an old Jew named Judas, whose ancestors handed down a story about the event three hundred years ago from generation to generation, did he manage to determine it with the necessary accuracy. After the pagan temple was demolished, and the bishop Makarii served a moleben at the free place, all those present suddenly felt an unearthly fragrance emanating from the earth.
When the topsoil was removed,accumulated there over many years, all those present were presented with three crosses that remained in the same place from that great day, and on one of which the Savior was martyred. But which one was the instrument of the torment of Christ remained a mystery. There was also a tablet, the inscription on which was made by Pontius Pilate, and nails.
But the Lord Himself revealed the truth to them.He wisely Bishop Macarius stopped the funeral procession passing by and touched the deceased one by one with all the crosses. When the Lord’s Cross was entrusted to the deceased, he unexpectedly resurrected. So the Christian church found its greatest shrine, thanks to the work that laid on this holy queen Elena. The icon usually depicts her standing next to this wonderful find.
The beginning of the veneration of the holy
Следует заметить, что за всю историю христианства Only five women were awarded canonization in the face of saints, among whom Saint Helena rightfully took her place. Her icon was written immediately after death. At the same time, widespread worship began in the East, reaching Western Europe only by the beginning of the 9th century. In our country, the memory of the saint is celebrated twice a year - March 19 and June 3 - and has deep roots. It is known that the grandmother of the baptist of Russia, Prince Vladimir, the first Russian Christian, Princess Olga, received the name of Helen in holy baptism in honor of the mother of the Emperor Constantine the Great.
Iconography of St. Helena
It would not be an exaggeration to say that among othersof the saints of God, St. Helena Equal to the Apostles stands out in terms of the significance of the deed she committed by the Orthodox Church. Her icon is well known to all believers. Often on her she will be with her son, the emperor Constantine, as well as her mother, raised to the rank of equal to the apostles for establishing Christianity as the official state religion. However, more often there are images in which only St. Helena is represented.
An icon whose meaning is clearer the morethoughtfully, we relate the plot to the life of the pious empress, usually depicts her against the backdrop of Jerusalem, which is near the monumental Cross of the Lord and fixed her gaze towards Heaven. She is clothed in a robe adopted by the Byzantine empresses, with a crown or crown on her head. Sometimes under the crown depicted precious plat. This is the most common plot. The icon of Saint Helena, whose photo opens the article, belongs to this group.
Однако наиболее ранние византийские иконы they depict a holy support in a raised hands a medallion with a cross inscribed on it. In this case, she is also portrayed either alone or with her son Constantine. An example of this is the mosaic in Constantinople Hagia Sophia.
Russian version of the icon
В российской иконографии существует совершенно original icon "Saint Helena". The value helps to understand the event that occurred in 1665 in Moscow. Then, a cross with particles of the Life-giving Tree of the Lord, specially made for the sovereign Alexey Mikhailovich, was brought from Palestine. It was intended for a monastery located on the Kii-island in the White Sea, and its arrival became a significant event in the church life. An icon was written in his memory.
She depicted the Cross, on the sides of whichthe figures of saints Equal to the Apostles Helena and Constantine, as well as Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna and the kneeling Patriarch Nikon were placed. Subsequently, when he fell into disgrace and was displaced, his image from the composition of the icon was removed, and the subsequent lists from it contain only four figures. Among the images written in a later period, the image of St. Helena prevails, holding a small cross in her hand, symbolizing her legendary find at the crucifixion of Christ.
Icon of St. Helena. What does the image help?
There is a tradition in Russian Orthodoxy.appeal to Queen Equal-to-the-Apostles with a wide variety of requests. But most often, in front of her holy way, they pray for healing from ailments and sending health to themselves and their loved ones. Also resort to her help in case of material difficulties. If a prayer is pronounced with faith and trust in the mercy of God, then it is heard, and the request is fulfilled.
St. Helena has one icon that is unique to her.feature. If the queen is depicted together with her son and legal successor, the emperor Constantine, then it is recommended to address her to people engaged in political activities and in need of support. Such a prayer may be relevant in the run-up to the elections and instill hope even in those candidates who have nothing more to count on.
В наши дни среди изображений наиболее почитаемых in the people of God's saints present and the icon of St. Helena. In Moscow, her remarkable image can be seen in the church belonging to the parish of Constantine and Helena in Mitino. She is depicted holding together with her son a holy cross, acquired by her and bestowed on the entire Christian church. In addition, her image can be found in almost any Orthodox church in Russia and offer your prayer in front of him.
