Saint Helena in Cyprus
St Helena visited Palestine in search of the Cross on which The Lord was crucified and to build churches in his name.She had seen a vision herself which guided her to perform this holy task.At the time she was about 80 years old and she set about this task with zeal and faith.She talked with many people who she thought could help her to find the Cross.The Cross of the Lord had been buried by the Unbelievers in a bid to wipe out all traces of Christianity.A few of the Jews knew where the Cross was buried.One of the Jews called Judas,after a divivine vision, pointed out the location to St Helena. St Helena praised him afterwards for his act. He later became a Christian Saint and became known as Kyriakos. Above its burial ground, the Emperor Adrianos had built a temple dedicated to Venus or Aphrodite. A statue of Jupiter had been erected where the Lord was raised from the dead. It was a Jewish Custom to bury all the instruments of an execution close to the body of the executed person, as these instruments were detested.St Helena ordered this temple to be destroyed, and digging began. St Helena then set off for Constantinople.She was forced to land in Cyprus due to bad weather.Cyprus was in a bad way. It had not rained for a very long time-some 36 years.The land was filled with snakes, and many of the inhabitants had fled elsewhere.An angel appeared to her and told her that it was God's will that she should build some churches in Cyprus, so that the Lord's name would be known there too.The Holy Cross itself miraculously found its way to Mount Olympos, revealing to St Helena where a church should be built.Here she built Stavrovouni.She built other churches at Tochni and Omodos.She left part of the rope used to tie the Lord In Omodos. She brought a ship load of cats to Cyprus which ate the snakes. Rain fell again, the inhabitants returned, and God's blessing returned to Cyprus once more.The inhabitants of the island celebrate the building of Stavrovouni on 14 September-the day set aside for the Holy cross.
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Last Published:27/08/06
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