A01=Antonina Harbus
Anglo-Saxon England
Author_Antonina Harbus
British saint
Category=DSB
Category=JBCC
Category=JBGB
Category=NHD
Category=QRM
Category=QRVG
Church dedications
Constantine the Great
eq_bestseller
eq_biography-true-stories
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
Imperial Rome
Legends
National pride
Romance heroine
St Helena
True Cross
Welsh texts
Product details
- ISBN 9780859916257
- Weight: 504g
- Dimensions: 156 x 234mm
- Publication Date: 20 Jun 2002
- Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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The first study to examine the origins, development, political exploitation and decline of the legend of St Helena, tracing its momentum and adaptive power from Anglo-Saxon England onwards.
St Helena, mother of Constantine the Great and legendary finder of the True Cross, was appropriated in the middle ages as a British saint. The rise and persistence of this legend harnessed Helena's imperial and sacred status to portray her as a romance heroine, source of national pride, and a legitimising link to imperial Rome. This study is the first to examine the origins, development, political exploitation and decline of this legend, tracing its momentum and adaptive power from Anglo-Saxon England to the twentieth century. Using Latin, English, and Welsh texts, as well as church dedications and visual arts, the author examines the positive effect of the British legend on the cult of St Helena and the reasons for its wide appeal and durability in both secular and religious contexts.
Two previously unpublished vitae of St Helena are included in the volume: a Middle English verse vita from the South English Legendary, and a Latin prose vita by the twelfth-century hagiographer, Jocelin of Furness.
Antonina Harbus is Professor in the Department of English at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
