St. Helena - Vilnius, Lithuania
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Metro2
N 54° 41.145 E 025° 17.237
35U E 389590 N 6061169
This statue is one of three atop the entrance to the Vilnius Cathedral. It depicts St. Helena who was by virtue of marriage, the Roman Empress. She was also the mother to Emperor Constantine.
Waymark Code: WMK6P7
Location: Lithuania
Date Posted: 02/20/2014
Views: 14
All three of the statues at the entrance to the Cathedral are by sculptor Kazimierz Jelski and created between 1786 and 1792. The statue in the center is that of Saint Helena. The saint is depicted standing in a long dress, with long hair. She holds a large golden cross with her right hand. The work appears to be marble and lifesized.
Wikipedia's article on the Cathedral (
visit link) identifies the the three figures "...Saint Casimir on the south side, Saint Stanislaus on the north, and Saint Helena in the centre. These sculptures were removed in 1950 and restored in 1997. Presumably the sculpture of St. Casimir originally symbolized Lithuania, that of St. Stanislaus symbolized Poland, and that of St. Helena symbolized Russia's dominance."
and Wikipedia's article on the Saint (
visit link) adds:
"Saint Helena or Saint Helen (Latin: Flavia Iulia Helena Augusta; c.?250 – c.?330) was the consort of the Roman emperor Constantius Chlorus and the mother of the emperor Constantine the Great, an important figure in the history of Christianity. She is traditionally credited with a pilgrimage to Syria Palaestina, during which she discovered the True Cross of Jesus's crucifixion. She is revered as a saint by the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, the Roman Catholic, the Lutheran, and the Anglican churches."