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Who was Saint Helena? And why was an island in the Atlantic named after her?
One of the most remote places in the world bears her name. It was on Saint Helena Island that Napoleon Bonaparte died. Who was its patron saint — Saint Helena, the Roman empress?
According to chronicles, the name of the Roman empress was invoked in May 1502 by the sailor Joao da Nova. Nova was the commander of a Portuguese armada consisting of four ships. The armada was just returning to Lisbon. It had been on a more than year-long trade-war expedition to India.
After circumnavigating the Cape of Good Hope, Nova turned his ships to the South Atlantic. On May 21, he came across a small island. The patron saint of the day was in the early 16th century. Helena, a Christian saint. Nova named the newly discovered island after her. He reportedly went ashore where the town of Jamestown is today — and built a wooden chapel dedicated to the saint there.
A woman from ancient coins
Who was Saint Helena? On Roman coins from the era, which bear her likeness, she is signed Flavia Helena, Flavia Julia Helena, and sometimes Aelena. She most likely came from a lower social…
