A new publication based on St Helena’s biography presented in a historical and social perspective of her time is now on sale.

‘Santa Liena Imperatrici Awgusta’ by Fr Albert Sammut, is aimed at answering long asked questions such as: Who was St Helena? Where did she come from? When was she born? When did she embrace Christianity? What was her role after her son’s ascent to the supreme power of the Roman Empire? Did she really go to the Holy Land and did she really retrieve the relics of the True Cross on which Christ was crucified, besides other relics?

St Helena was the protagonist throughout the century of barbarians ever pressing at the frontiers of the empire, the scramble for power by several would-be emperors, the stabilising efforts of Diocletian first with the last of the great persecutions of the Christians. Later on, the re-unification and refounding by Constantine the Great, Helena’s son took place bringing on more troubles and political drives.

In Malta, St Helena is popularly associated with Birkirkara where the people are proud to praise her as the patron saint of their parish. Meanwhile, Fr Sammut’s book, published on initiative of Birkirkara Canon Paul Gauci, is not said to be simply for devotees of St Helena but for anyone interested in the subject which is perceived through a learned, pleasing narration.

Saint Helena has been the subject of various publications locally. The most detailed of these and perhaps the oldest is, Canon G. Bugeja’s ‘Storia Critica sulla via di S Elena, Imperatrice’, published in 1875. Others dating from the early years of the twentieth century to the 1950’s were mostly popular presentations in the vernacular. It is needless to say that any of such publications has long since been out of print or unavailable.

‘Santa Liena Imperatrici Awgusta’ is available from St. Helen’s Basilica, as well as the book shops; Calleja Second Step, Barigozzi, and Bethlehem in Birkirkara.