SARCOPHAGUS OF SAINT HELEN
(or, Helena)
Mother of Roman Emperor Constantine I the Great (who legalized Christianity in 313 with his Edict of Milan)
C. 330 AD
http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?imgurl=eb5b275146dad992&q=sarcophagus%20helen%20OR%20helena&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsarcophagus%2Bhelen%2BOR%2Bhelena%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GGIC_enUS248US319%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1:
Vatican Treasures
Porphyry sarcophagus of St. Helena, ca. 4th C. AD, in Vatican Museum
Early Christian Art, W. F. Volbach, 1961, plate 23, “Rome, Vatican. Museo Pio-Clementino. Porphyry sarcophagus of St. Helen (d. 336), mother of Constantine the Great, second quarter of IVth century”:
Enlargement:
http://www.martyrsandsaints.org/main/era_of_martyrdom/04th_century/Saint_Helen.htm, Saint Helen, and Emperor Constantine the Great (330 AD):
St. Helen or Helena, Empress mother of Constantine the Great.
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0823240.html, infoplease: Encyclopedia, “Helena, Saint”:
Helena, Saint , c.248–328?, mother of Constantine I. She became a Christian in 313. According to tradition she found (327) the relic of the True Cross in Jerusalem and identified the location of the Holy Sepulcher. Feast: Aug. 18.
http://www.brogilbert.org/kingdom/king-rome2.htm, Emperor Constantine Becomes Christian, “Saint Helena”:
Constantine was instrumental in bringing about the conversion of his mother Helen in 312 A.D. She became very devoted to Christ and did much to spread Christianity. Helena was very generous to the poor and given to building Churches. Worthy of note is that she supervised the building the Church in Bethlehem over the Grotto of the Nativity and another church on the Mount of the Ascension. … she built the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. … St. Helena died at the age of 80 c. 330 A.D. and Constantine was with her when she died. Her body was brought to Constantinople and laid to rest in the imperial vault of the church of the Apostles.
http://www.serfes.org/, Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church:
Icon Of Saints Constantine & Helen
http://harpy.uccs.edu/roman/html/sarcs.html, Roman Sarcophagus Reliefs:
Sarcophagus of Helen, mother of Constantine (Vatican Museums)
Art History, Stokstad, Revised Edition, 1999, Vol. 1, p. 284, “The Late Empire: Constantine the Great and His Legacy”:
Vatican Museums, Rome, Newsweek, 1968, p. 32, “Sarcophagus of St. Helena”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_of_Constantinople, “Helena of Constantinople”:
Saint Helena (Latin: Flavia Iulia Helena Augusta) also known as Saint Helen, Helena Augusta or Helena of Constantinople (ca. 250 – ca. 330) was the consort of Emperor Constantius, and the mother of Emperor Constantine I.
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Eastern Orthodox icon of Saint Constantine the Great and his mother Saint Helena:
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The shrine to Saint Helena in St. Peter's Basilica:
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Helena's sarcophagus in the Museo Pio-Clementino, Rome:
