Helena. AE. Follis. 324-328/330 AD. Rome mint. Obv. FL HELENA AVGVSTA Diademed and draped bust of Helena to right. Rev. SECVRITAS REI PVBLICE. Securitas, veiled, standing front, head to left, holding branch in her right hand; R(wreath)S in exergue. 19mm, 3.34g. Ric-291. Very Fine.
Helena was the first wife of Constantius I and mother of Constantine I. Although abandoned by her husband, Helena was brought to the Imperial court by her son and was given many titles. She exercised immense influence over the government of the empire and was instrumental in the continued growth of Christianity. Famed for her piety, Helena is a saint in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Roman Catholic churches. Her feast day as a saint of the Orthodox Christian Church is celebrated with her son on May 21, the "Feast of the Holy Great Sovereigns Constantine and Helen, Equal to the Apostles." Her feast day in the Roman Catholic Church falls on August 18. 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.
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