Statue of Saint Helena by Andrea Bolgi

The Statue of Saint Helena by Andrea Bolgi depicts Saint Helena holding the True Cross and the Holy Nails. The sculptor Bolgi labored for a decade on this statue that epitomized his career. Saint Helena (250 AD – 330 AD) was an Empress of the Roman Empire, and mother of Emperor Constantine the Great (272 –337), the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity.

The Statue of Saint Helena was created for one of the four niches at the crossing of St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City. In St. Peter’s Basilica four piers support the dome of the Basilica.

Each of the piers has a niche in which is set one of the four statues associated with the basilica’s most important holy relics. A piece of the True Cross Relic is kept near the colossal statue of St. Empress Helena.

The Statue of Saint Helena is one of these four statues. The four sculptures set in the niches of the four piers supporting the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica are:

Saint Longinus holding the spear that pierced the side of Jesus, by Bernini

The Statue of Saint Longinus by Bernini shows the saint holding the spear that pierced the side of Jesus is one of these four statues. The sculptor, Bernini, has depicted a dramatic narrative showing Longinus’ conversion. Bernini’s skill in manipulating marble ensured that he became a worthy successor of Michelangelo, far outshining other sculptors of his generation.

Saint Andrew with the St. Andrew’s Cross, by Francois Duquesnoy

Saint Andrew by Francois Duquesnoy depicts a venerated relic, which at the time was the property of the Pope and St. Peters. The statue of Andrew was created to honor the relic of the apostle’s skull.

Saint Veronica holding her veil with the image of Jesus’ face, by Francesco Mochi

Saint Veronica by Francesco Mochi depicted the frantic Saint Veronica displaying the Veil of Veronica and was created to honor the relic of the Veil of Veronica.

Saint Helena

Helena (250 AD – 330 AD) was born as a commoner; she became the consort of the future Roman Emperor and the mother of the future Emperor Constantine the Great.

She ranks as an essential figure in the history of Christianity, due to her influence on her son. In her final years, she made a religious tour of Syria, Palaestina, and Jerusalem, during which she allegedly discovered the True Cross. 

The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a Christian Church tradition, are said to be from the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.

On the site of the discovery, Constantine ordered the building of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

When Helena left Jerusalem and the eastern provinces to return to Rome, she brought with her large parts of the True Cross and other relics.

They were stored in her palace’s private chapel, where they can be still seen today. Her palace was later converted into what today is called the “Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem,” which is in Rome.

St. Helena is the patron saint of difficult marriages, divorced people, converts, and archaeologists.

Andrea Bolgi

The sculptor, Andrea Bolgi (1605 – 1656) was an Italian sculptor responsible for several statues in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome.

Later, he moved to Naples, where he sculpted portrait busts, where he died in Naples during a plague epidemic.

St. Peter’s Basilica

The Papal Basilica of St. Peter is an Italian Renaissance church in Vatican City, which is the papal enclave within the city of Rome.

St. Peter’s is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and the largest church in the world. Catholic tradition holds that the Basilica is the burial site of Saint Peter, a leading Apostle of Jesus and the first Bishop of Rome.

Saint Peter’s tomb is supposedly directly below the high altar of the Basilica.

Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem

The Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem is a Catholic basilica in Rome. It is one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. According to tradition, the basilica was consecrated in 325 to house the relics of the Passion of Jesus Christ.

The relics were brought to Rome from the Holy Land by Empress St. Helena, the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine I. Several famous relics of disputed authenticity, are housed there in the Cappella delle Reliquie.

• The panel which hung on Christ’s Cross (considered to be a medieval forgery);
• two thorns of the Crown of Thorns;
• part of a nail;
• three small wooden pieces of the True Cross;
• and a larger portion of the True Cross is kept near the colossal statue of St. Empress Helena sculpted by Andrea Bolgi in the early 1640s.

Statue of Saint Helena

• Title:                Statue of Saint Helena
• Italiano:           Statua di Sant’Elena Imperatrice
• Français:          Statue de Saint Hélène de Constantinople
• Artist:              Andrea Bolgi
• Year:                1647
• Materials:        Marble
• Museum:         St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City

Andrea Bolgi

• Name:               Andrea Bolgi
• Born:                 1605 – Carrara, Italy
• Died:                 1656 – (aged 51) – Naples
• Movement:       Baroque
• Notable works:
  • Saint Helena

St. Helena

A Tour of St. Peter’s Basilica

•  Pietà by Michelangelo
• Saint Helena by Andrea Bolgi
• Saint Longinus by Bernini
• Saint Andrew by Francois Duquesnoy
• Saint Veronica by Francesco Mochi

A Tour of Rome’s Museums

• The Vatican Museums
• Capitoline Museums
• St. Peter’s Basilica
• National Roman Museum
• Galleria Borghese

Helena – First Pilgrim to the Holy Land

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“God creates out of nothing.
Wonderful you say.
Yes, to be sure,
but he does what is still more wonderful:
he makes saints out of sinners.”
– Soren Kierkegaard,

~~~

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Photo Credit: By Jean-Pol GRANDMONT (Self-photographed) [GFDL (gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY 3.0 (hcreativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons