Summary
The mother of Emperor Constantine and a Christian saint connected with the tradition of finding the Cross of Christ. She is the patron of the parish and church in Škrip; this does not confirm the popular claim that she was born there.
Helena of the Cross should be distinguished from the Croatian Queen Jelena of the 10th century.
An empress and the Holy Land
Helena was the mother of Emperor Constantine. Later Christian tradition particularly emphasizes her journey to the Holy Land, the construction of churches and her search for relics of Christ’s Passion. The story of finding the True Cross explains the epithet ‘of the Cross’.
Sources: [1]
The dedication in Škrip
The parish Church of St Helena of the Cross is in the historic centre of Škrip. The diocesan directory confirms this parish dedication. The church and annual celebration bear witness to local veneration of the saint, while the question of her historical birthplace requires a different kind of evidence.
Sources: [2]
What the dedication says about her origins
Biographies place her early origins in Asia Minor, with considerable uncertainty. The church dedication in Škrip does not by itself confirm a local birthplace. She was also the mother of a Roman emperor in Late Antiquity, not the Croatian Queen Jelena associated with Solin.
