Archeologists / Helena, 250–330, Feast Day: August 18

Married to the coregent of the Western Roman Empire, Helena was divorced by him when he became emperor. Upon his death and the ascension of her son Constantine to the throne, she was installed in court and treated as royalty. A devout Christian, she influenced her son to legalize Christianity. At the age of eighty she traveled to the Holy Land, paying for a successful expedition to uncover the True Cross.

Other patronages: Madrid, Paris; dyers, empresses, nail makers; converts, difficult marriages, divorced people

Invoked: against demons; to find lost objects