Panel of clear and coloured glass with painted details and yellow (silver) stain. Depicting St. Helena and the Emperor Constantine. Made in Germany (Lower Rhineland), c.1530.

Given by J. Pierpont Morgan, Jr

From Cologne

The woman depicted in this panel is St. Helena and she is holding the True Cross. Helena (c.255- c.330) was the mother of the Emperor Constantine who reigned from 306 until his death in 337.

Constantine was the Emperor who brought an end to the persecutions of the Christians with the so-called 'Edict of Milan' in 313 in which he and his co-ruler Licinius agreed to the legalisation the Christian churches and the toleration of the practice of the faith.

His mother, Helena, was a practicing Christian and in 326 she made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and established a number of religious institutions there.

According to accounts, it was at that time that Helena had a vision in a dream which showed her where the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified (the 'True Cross') was buried. She directed her servants to uncover it. Subsequently, over many centuries, bits of the cross were removed and given as pious gifts to leading churchmen and rulers throughout the Christian lands. This accounts for the number of 'True Crosses' to be found in many churches today.

One of the Fathers of the Western Church, St. Jerome (c.342-420) travelled to the Holy Land with two female companions at the end of the fourth century. Many years later he described the travels of these two women and recorded that they worshipped before the Cross in Jerusalem. It is not clear if this Cross is the one that Helena supposedly found but could indicate that the story of the finding of the True Cross has a very long history.

The man dressed in imperial accoutrements standing next to St. Helena is most likely to be her son, Constantine. This is the most often found grouping but another window which was originally in a church in Cologne shows Helena with the canonised Emperor Henry II. The iconography shown here is not sufficient to identify the male figure.

The woman depicted in this panel is St Helena, the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine (reigned 306–37). She was born about 255, and died about 330. Here she holds the True Cross, the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified.

Constantine legalised Christianity in 313, with the so-called Edict of Milan. Helena was a practising Christian and in 326 she made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where she established a number of religious institutions. According to accounts, Helena had a vision that showed her where the True Cross was buried. She directed her servants to uncover it. Subsequently, over many centuries, bits of the cross were given as pious gifts to leading churchmen and rulers throughout the Christian lands. This accounts for the number of ‘True Crosses’ to be found in many churches today.

One of the Fathers of the Western church, St Jerome (about 342–420), recorded the experiences of two women friends who had worshipped before the Cross in Jerusalem. We do not know if this Cross was the one that Helena supposedly found, but it could indicate that the story of the finding of the True Cross has a very long history.

The man in imperial dress standing next to St Helena is probably her son, Constantine. This is the most usual grouping. However, another window that originally came from a church in Cologne shows Helena with the canonised Holy Roman Emperor Henry II. Here there are insufficient clues to identify the male figure.

C.69-1919