Helena ‘ Saint ‘ Constantine the Great Mother Ancient Coin Security Cult i55537

Item: i55537

 Authentic Ancient

Coin of:

Helena ‘known as Saint Helena’- Mother of Constantine the
Great

324-328/30 A.D.

 Bronze AE3 18mm (3.13 grams)
Struck at the mint of Nicomedia circa 325-326 A.D.
Reference: RIC VII Nicomedia 129; Sear 16620.
FL HELENA-AVGVSTA, diademed bust right, wearing mantle and necklace
 SECVRITAS-REIPVBLICE, Securitas standing left, lowering branch with right
hand,
 raising hem of robe with left hand. Mintmark MNΓ

Flavia Julia Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, was born in 248 AD and
began her career as a barmaid in Naissus (Moesia). She became the mistress, and
possibly wife, of Flavius Constantius before his elevation to the rank of Caesar
and bore him a son, Constantinus (Constantine the Great) about 272/3. On
Constantius’ appointment as Caesar in 293 he was obliged to repudiate Helena in
favor of Theodora, stepdaughter of the western Augustus Maximian. Helena
followed her son’s example in converting to Christianity after the victory over
Maxentius in 312 and became very active in promoting the interests of Church.
Her elevation to the rank of Augusta did not take place until 324 in connection
with the celebration of Constantine’s victory over his rival, Licinius, which
gave him control of the whole Empire. Two years later Helena seems to have
played a key role in revealing the treachery of her daughter-in-law, the empress
Fausta, in the affair of Crispus Caesar’s disgrace and execution. Fausta herself
was put to death after which Helena left Rome on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
She died on her return to the West in 329 AD and was later canonized. Her
festival is still celebrated in the Greek Orthodox Church.

You are bidding on the exact item pictured,

Authenticity.

Securitas – Security, as a goddess worshipped by the Romans, is delineated in

a great variety of ways on their imperial coins. She appears for the most part

under the form of a woman in matronly costume; though in some few instances she

is but half clothed, having a veil thrown over the lower extremities. Sometimes

she is quietly seated, as if perfectly at her ease and having nothing to fear.

That is to say, her right or her left elbow rests on her chair, and the hand

supports her head, as in Nero. Or else one of her arms is placed above the head;

an attitude which ancient artists regarded as characteristic of repose. She

holds in one or other of her hands either a sceptre, or a scipio, or the hasta

pura, or a cornucopia, or a patera, or a globe. On some medals there is near her

a lighted altar; on others she stands leaning against, or with her arm upon, a

column or cippus, having sometimes the legs crossed in a tranquil, easy posture,

carrying one of the above-mentioned symbols, or otherwise holding before her a

branch or a crown of olive, or a palm branch. The meaning of these various

attitudes and attributes is on the whole too evident to require explanation.
There are medals of nearly all the emperors (with flagrant inappropriateness to
most of the reigns) from Otho and Vitellius to Constans and Constantius jun.,
which have for the type of their reverses this figure of Security, and present
for their legend the word SECVRITAS, with the addition of the words, AVGVSTI, or
AVGVSTORVM (security of the emperor or of the emperors); ORBIS (security of the
world) ; PVBLICA (public security) ; PERPETVA (perpetual security) ; POPVLI
ROMANI (security of the Roman people) TEMPORVM (of the Times) ; IMPERII (of the
empire) SAECVLI (of the age) ; REPVBLICAE (of the republic), etc.

Saint Helena (Latin:

Flavia Iulia Helena Augusta) also

known as Saint Helen, Helena Augusta or Helena of

Constantinople (ca. 246/50 – 18 August 330) was the consort of

Emperor

Constantius

, and the mother of Emperor

Constantine I

. She is traditionally credited with finding the

relics
of the

True Cross
.

//

 Family

life

Helena’s birthplace is not known with certainty. The sixth-century historian

Procopius

is the earliest authority for the statement that Helena was a native of

Drepanum
,

in the province of

Bithynia
in

Asia Minor

. Her son Constantine renamed the city "Helenopolis"

after her death in 328, giving rise to the belief that the city was her

birthplace.

Although he might have done so in honor of her birthplace, Constantine probably

had other reasons for doing so. The Byzantinist

Cyril

Mango
has argued that Helenopolis was refounded to strengthen the

communication network around his new capital in Constantinople, and was renamed

to honor Helena, not to mark her birthplace.

There is another Helenopolis, in Palestine, but its exact location is unknown.

This city, and the province of

Helenopontus

in the

Diocese of Pontus

, were probably both named after Constantine’s mother.

The bishop and historian

Eusebius of Caesarea

states that she was about 80 on her return from

Palestine.

Since that journey has been dated to 326–28, Helena was probably born in 248 or

250. Little is known of her early life.

Fourth-century sources, following

Eutropius
‘

"Breviarium," record that she came from a low background.

Saint Ambrose

was the first to call her a stabularia, a term translated as

"stable-maid" or "inn-keeper". He makes this fact a virtue, calling Helena a

bona stabularia, a "good stable-maid".

Other sources, especially those written after Constantine’s proclamation as

emperor, gloss over or ignore her background.

It is unknown where she first met

Constantius

.

The historian

Timothy Barnes

has suggested that Constantius, while serving under Emperor

Aurelian
,

could have met her while stationed in Asia Minor for the campaign against

Zenobia
.

Barnes calls attention to an epitaph at Nicomedia of one of Aurelian’s

protectors, which could indicate the emperor’s presence in the Bithynian region

soon after 270.

The precise legal nature of the relationship between Helena and Constantius is

also unknown. The sources are equivocal on the point, sometimes calling Helena

Constantius’ "wife", and sometimes calling her his "concubine".

Jerome
, perhaps

confused by the vague terminology of his own sources, manages to do both.

Some scholars, such as the historian Jan Drijvers, assert that Constantius and

Helena were joined in a

common-law marriage

, a cohabitation recognized in fact but not in law.

Others, like Timothy Barnes, assert that Constantius and Helena were joined in

an official marriage, on the grounds that the sources claiming an official

marriage are more reliable.

Helena gave birth to the future emperor

Constantine I

on the 27th of February of an uncertain year soon after 270

(probably around 272).

At the time, she was in

Naissus

(Niš,

Serbia
).

Constantius divorced Helena at some time before 289, when he married

Theodora

, Maximian’s daughter.

(The narrative sources date the marriage to 293, but the

Latin panegyric

of 289 refers to the couple as already married.)

Helena never remarried and lived for a while in obscurity, though close to her

only son, who had a deep regard and affection for her.

Constantine was proclaimed

Augustus

of the

Roman

Empire
in 306 by Constantius’ troops after the latter had died, and

following his elevation his mother was brought back to the public life and the

imperial court. She received the title of

in 325 and died in 330 with her son at her side. Her

sarcophagus

is on display in the

Pio-Clementine Vatican Museum

, although the connection is often questioned.

The elaborate reliefs contain hunting scenes. During her life, she gave many

presents to the poor, released prisoners and mingled with the ordinary

worshipers in modest attire.

 Sainthood

She is considered by the

Eastern Orthodox

,

Oriental Orthodox

and

Roman Catholic

churches as a

saint
, famed for

her piety. Her feast day as a saint of the Orthodox Christian Church is

celebrated with her son on 21 May, the "Feast of the Holy Great Sovereigns

Constantine and Helen, Equal to the Apostles."

Her feast day in the Roman Catholic Church falls on 18 August. Her feast day in

the

Coptic Orthodox Church

is on

9 Pashons

.

Eusebius

records the details of her

pilgrimage

to Palestine

and other eastern provinces (though not her discovery of the True Cross). She is

the patron saint

of

new discoveries

.

 Relic

discoveries

Constantine appointed his mother Helen as

Augusta

, and gave her unlimited access to the imperial treasury in order to

locate the relics of

Judeo-Christian

tradition. In 325, Helena was in charge of such a journey to

Jerusalem

by her son. Upon the request of the monks in the region, Helena

ordered the construction of a church in Egypt to identify the

Burning Bush

of Sinai. The chapel, at

St. Catherine’s Monastery

often referred to as the Chapel of Saint Helen, is

dated to the year AD 330.

Jerusalem was still rebuilding from the destruction of Emperor

Hadrian
, who

had built a temple to

Venus

over the site of

Jesus
‘s tomb near

Calvary
.

According to legend, Helena entered the temple with Bishop

Macarius

, ordered the temple torn down and chose a site to begin excavating,

which led to the recovery of three different crosses. Refused to be swayed by

anything but solid proof, the empress had a woman from Jerusalem, who was

already at the point of death from a certain disease, brought to her. When the

woman touched the first and second crosses, her condition did not change, but

when she touched the third and final cross she suddenly recovered^[

neededcitation], and Helena declared the cross with which the woman had

been touched to be the

True Cross
.

On the site of discovery, Constantine built the

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

as well as on other sites detected by Helena.

She also found the nails of the crucifixion. To use their miraculous power to

aid her son, Helena allegedly had one placed in Constantine’s helmet, and

another in the bridle of his horse. Helena left Jerusalem and the eastern

provinces in 327 to return to Rome, bringing with her large parts of the True

Cross and other relics, which were then stored in her palace’s private chapel,

where they can be still seen today. Her palace was later converted into the

church

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme

.

According to one tradition, Helena acquired the

Holy Tunic

on her trip to Jerusalem and sent it to

Trier
.

Several of Saint Helena’s treasures are now in Cyprus, where she spent some

time. Some of them are a part of Jesus Christ’s tunic, pieces of the holy cross

and the world’s only pieces of the rope to which Jesus was tied with on the

Cross. The latter has been held at the Staurovouni monastery, which was also

founded by Saint Helena.

A Cathedral

was named after her in

Helena, Montana

.

 Depictions

in British folklore

In Great Britain

, later legend, mentioned by

Henry of Huntingdon

but made popular by

Geoffrey of Monmouth

, claimed that Helena was a daughter of the King of

Britain

, Cole

of

Camulodunum

, who allied with Constantius to avoid more war between the

Britons and Rome
.

Geoffrey further states that she was brought up in the manner of a queen, as she

had no brothers to inherit the throne of Britain. The source for this may have

been Sozomen
‘s

, which however does not claim Helena was British

but only that her son Constantine picked up his Christianity there.

Constantine was with his father when he died in

Eboracum
(York),

but neither had spent much time in Britain. There is no other surviving evidence

to support this legend, which may be due to confusion with

Saint Elen

, wife of the usurper

Magnus Maximus

.

At least twenty-five

holy wells

currently exist in the

United Kingdom

that are dedicated to Saint Helena. She is also the patron

saint of Colchester

and

Abingdon

.

Adrian Gilbert

has argued that Helena traveled to

Nevern
in

Wales
where she

hid the True Cross

. near the local Norman church of St Brynach, where a cross is

carved into a rock formation. Named the Pilgrim’s Cross, religious pilgrims once

came here to pray for visions. Names of local places are abundant with cross

imagery, including "River of the Empress," "Mountain of the Cross," "Pass of the

Cross" and others. The

True Cross
,

however, has not been found in this region.

 Depictions

in fiction

Helena is the protagonist of

Evelyn

Waugh
‘s novel

. She is also the main character of

(2000), a

fantasy
novel

by

Marion Zimmer Bradley

and

Diana L. Paxson

. She is given the name Eilan and depicted as a trained

priestess
of

Avalon
. In the

anime
and

manga
,

Hellsing
,

the Nail of Helena is a powerful artifact used by the Paladin Alexander Anderson

to gain supernatural power.