Flavia Julia Helena (c. 246/248 – c. 330), or Saint Helena, was the mother of Roman emperor Constantine the Great. She was born outside of the noble classes, a Greek, possibly in the Greek city of Drepana, Bithynia in Asia Minor.
Helena ranks as an important figure in the history of Christianity and of the world due to her influence on her son. In her final years, she made a religious tour of Syria Palaestina and Jerusalem, during which ancient tradition claims that she discovered the True Cross. The Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Catholic Church, and the Anglican Communion revere her as a saint; the Lutheran Church commemorates her.