ORDINIS HELENIUM

part three

YEARS ACCOMPANYING THE CULT OF HELENA:

** 1102 our Saint Helena was born (or: in October 1101?).

** 1104 pope Paschalis II created the archdiocese of Lund, which Westgothia was a part of .

** 1108, 15/2, all Sweden became all christian according to the franciscans of Stockholm. (Gothia had been christianized since 1072).

**1117 Helena married Bengt the Chevalier (according to a play. The earliest documented Benedictus of Sweden, a member of the clergy at Lund, died 20/2 ~1150; the second one was bishop Benedictus of Scara who was documented when he was elected in 1170).

**1120 there existed 6 dioceses in the country: Eskilstuna, Linkoping, Sigtuna, Scara, Strangnas and Vasteras.

**1123 Sigurd Jorsalafar, the king of Norway, harassed not only Palestine with crusades, but Smaland too.

**1123 the crypt and the main altar of Lund cathedral were inaugurated.

**1124 the occupation of Palestine was fulfilled, rendering it possible for pilgrims to go there.

**1125 Tibirke kirke in Sjalland was inaugurated, built next to a source which still in 1935 was detectable.

**1125 +/- 10 years: Westgothian builders constructed the nave, apse and tower chambers of Kumlaby church.

**1126 the building of Scara stone cathedral had started, replacing the wooden and hypothetical predecessor. Its crypt existed in 1064  -  it was destroyed in 1250, but it is partly reconstructed now.

**1130 Helena built Vamb church, replacing a hypothetical and at least 530 years older heathen temple in the large village of Van or Wam.

**1130 Westgothians got rid of the uplandian counter-king knaphovde. According to tradition the assault took place at Karleby/ Falbygden, where an ancient stone-grave has his name.

**1132 Helena's daughter alas got married to the "noble" heathen, and they lived at Vasterby. Dunney writes that her name was Cecilia.

**1134 king Magnus Nilsson, grandchild of king Inge senior, died at the battle of Fotevik.

**1135, 13/8: Hadn't this inscription in the wall plaster been a falsification, it would have been plausible that Helena had attended the inauguration of Forsby church this date.

**1136 three breads were transmogrified into stones in the hands of Helena.

**1137, 35 years old, Helena was widowed. At about the same time her daughter became a nun after the deadly attack on the son-in-law.

**1138 king Sverker senior founded Upsala cathedral. His family and party had a positive attitude towards the pope.

**1138-40 Helena's pilgrimage was going on. She sailed away from where, 50 years later, Ystad was founded. She met pope Innocentius II in Languedoc.

**1138 Innocentius II re-established Lund's archdiocese, which he had laid under the thumb of Hamburg 5 years earlier.

**1139 the city of Ystad was marked on a map on the order of Roger II of Sicily.

**1140, 1/8, Helena became the very first female martyr of Sweden, 38 years old, near Gotene church. During the time following right upon this a number of miracles occurred, mainly by her Grave and by the Rinsing-stone. "Pilgrims started to stream to the church which was called S.Elinae, and to the chapel by a source near Kallegarden, which was dedicated to the memorial of this saint". Dunney has calculated that the right year of the martyrdom was 1147! "1140" was mentioned by ecclesiastical documents from Scara and Linkoping dioceses from the early 15th century. "1/8" was mentioned already by Brynolf in 1288. [Lagerbrings Sv.R.Histor 2 part s 147; 2 times by PE Lindskog 1812-16; Forssenius, Messenius and Vastovius].

** 1140: They started rebuilding the church at Skovde  -  if true, this took place before it was even finished  -  into a central sanctuary for the region; the ecclesiastical authorities were concentrated at Skovde. Helena's Oratory by Vambo Rivulet was built (and at least eight other stone churches within reach). Helena's church at Skovde had allegedly the same architecture as the original stone churches of Linkoping and Vreta (inaugurated in 1289 by Magnus Ladislaus), which was a consequence of the eastgothian, pro-papal support of the cult of Helena. Skovde church was older than Vreta, and thus Vreta was modelled after it and not vice versa. Skovde was the "mother" of the annexes: Forsby, Hagelberg, Hene, Kyrketorp, Ryd, Suntetorp, Sventorp and Vamb. 

**1145, 1/9, Lund cathedral was inaugurated.

**1150:ies: According to new "discoveries" and "disclosures" made at the beginning of the 1970:ies, Medelplana church was inaugurated at this time, and its altars of Helena and Apollonia too.

**1150 . Forshem church (or the church which originally possessed the relievos) got depicted on a stone relievo; the altar was furnished with a relique.

**1151 Scara cathedral was inaugurated. A contemporary relievo of it exists.

**1152 the church of Sweden was brought closer to the pope thanks to the Linkoping synod.

**1155 erik ruled Westgothia? according to the cistercian order.

**1158: Karl Sverkersson, the great promoter of the cult of Helena, had become the king of Eastgothia and was approved of by the pope; in 1161 he had become the king of all Sweden, in 1164 entitled the king of East- and Westgothia by the pope; murdered on Visingso by the erikal clan 12/4.1167.

**1159/60 one succeeded in getting rid of that erik.

**1160:ies: 1.Helena was already worshipped in Danmark (but truly there are no proofs older than from 1430 for a danish cult of Helena, when the birgittines brought it there). 2.Guthorm Jarl's daughter Helena was named after S:ta Helena of Gotene-Skovde. 3.The oldest known swedish documents, apart from rune-stones, were written in this decade.

**1161, 4/2, king Magnus Henriksen was murdered  - greatgrandson of king Inge senior.

**1163-65 our blessed favourite pope Alexander III dwelt at Sens during his exile.

**1164, during the first weekend of August, Stephanus of Alvastra was ordained the first archbishop of Sweden at Sens/ France by pope Alexander III and Lund's archbishop Eskil. In 1167 Stephanus was forced to flee to Danmark; he visited the pope in 1169; in 1176 he inaugurated a church on Botvid's grave. (Sens was the centre of christianity in the 12th century, but the cathedral was not finished in 1164  -  its choir was inaugurated this year).

**1164, during the fall, Stephanus av Alvastra canonized and enshrined Helena on order of Alexander III  -  measures which at a high degree were approved of by king Karl Sverkersson. Firstly 31/7 was Helena's feast-day. According to a more plausible scenario Alexander III canonized Helena already during the summer of 1164 at Sens.

**1167, from and onwards: Swedish royal letters, acts of donations, ecclesiastical and papal and other documents are preserved from this time.

**1169 the first bishop of Vaxjo known by name, Balduin from Denmark, was mentioned after Alexander III had re-established or reorganized this ancient diocese stemming from ~980 AD.

**1170:ies: The augustinian monastery of Aebelholt was founded in Sjalland (~1175), et maybe it owned the area where Helene Kilde is situated. When Tisvilde was mentioned in writ during the following century its name still had a liaison to the Asa-god Tyr and not with Helena. (The monastery was closed in 1500, and its site was investigated in the 1930:ies).

**1170 Vaxjo stone cathedral was finished. A church on that very spot had in the first place been built in the 980:ies by Una-, Suna- and Winaman, and then their head-reliques had prophesied in the church. (Prior to 1021 king Olof gave the villages of Hov and Kronoberg to the planned cathedral according to the westgothian law).

**1170 Sunniva, Helena's liturgical sister, was laid in a silver shrine in Bergen cathedral.

**1171 Guthorm Jarl was mentioned for the last time in writ.

**1172  - (before 1172)  - 31/12, "Regina Elena" died at Vreta nunnery, the daughter of  Sverker senior, widow after Knud Magnusen, who was a greatgrandson of Inge senior.

**1190 Helena Guthormsdaughter got married to Esbern Snare, who was 33 years older than she. They lived at Saeby/Soeby.

**1191 reliques from two different Helenas were laid into the altar of Gumlosa church, which was busily being built. They stem from Helena of Auxerre and Helena of Bruxelles.

**1191: Vaxjo diocese was torn away from the archdiocese of Lund and was forced in under that of Upsala.

**1200 Helena was born, the daughter of Sverker junior, she who became the owner of the farm Gum between Odeshog and Alvastra.

**1204 Helena Guthormsdaughter's husband Esbern Snare fell backwards down the stairs in Saeby and died.

**1205 is included in an incompatible dating and origin story of Helene Grave and Stone at Tisvildeleje, see #65.

**1219 Snorre Sturlasen visited Eskil the legislator in Westgothia (in Long parish?).

**1220/21: the Chapter of Scara was established on order from Rome, people say  -  otherwise the Gothian Chapter was situated at Skovde(?)

**1223 (or soon thereafter) the chapel of Our Lady and its prebend were founded in Linkoping by Helena Guthormsdaughter and her son Knud of Reval. The foundation is mentioned by a papal letter from 1232. (There is nothing left above ground level of the Linkoping cathedral of their time).

**1234 the pope gave his permission to that the number of churches in Sweden might be reduced.

**1230:ies (at the earliest) Helena Guthormsdaughter was buried in Linkoping cathedral, at least 70 years old  -  greatgrandmother of S:t Holmger and of Ingrid Svantopolksdaughter... and Bo Jonsson-Grip is one of her descendants.

**1240:ies: Brynolf Algotsson was born. At this time the cult of Helena was waning in Westgothia. The Rinsing-boulder was removed from Skovde by the erikal party. The cult survived, though, chez the monks of Alvastra, thanks God.

**1240, approximately, S:ta Helena moved to Sjalland, angry because her cult had been abandoned in Sweden or influenced by the prayers of the carthusian monks of Asserbo, they claim. She was bright and wonderful. Revelation of divine truth made her face shine, and she wore a halo and a diadem.

**1240-51 (within this period) Helena Sverkersdaughter the younger died and was buried at Alvastra monastery.

**1250 S:ta Helena was taken on by the calendar of Strangnas diocese. That the cult of Helena was antedating Brynolf's Helenic works is totally clear.

**1251 the cult of Helena was growing vastly at Tibirke. Thanks to her well-water many indivuduals with eye-diseases were cured. Pontoppidan supposed that the holy corpse of Helena had been conveyed thither from Skedevig (Skovde) during the era of king Abel (born after 1214; king 1250-52), and if it were true, it had left Sweden when bishop Brynolf was but a wee child. Was Pontoppidan's invention benevolent or malicious? Both in Sweden and in Denmark the protestants invented lots of "catholic" memorials, "medieval" monuments and traditions. Provably(?) Helena's corpse was still in Westgothia until half a century after the reformation. As to the real introduction of the cult of Helena in Denmark, see 1430.

**1255 (until the 1530;ies) the Johannites were venerating Helena at Eskilstuna with their highest degree Duplex.

**1264 is an alternatively proposed year for when "monks stole Helena's body in the night from Skovde and transferred it to Tibirke"; a double of  1251 above, caused by a writer's lack of precision when he in 1764 referred 500 years back in time.

**1273 Upsala was literally moved to its present position. 24/1 erik's carcase was transferred thither.

**1277: Axewalla "House" was firstly mentioned (a fortified castle of stone). Another Helena, a queen and a pious lady of Skovde, who in ~1083 burnt down the Asa-god temple of Upsala, has been appointed the owner of this fortress.

**1281 our venerable bishop Brynolf embellished the Mass of Elin. He refurbished and re-actualized her cult. When he wrote "...In Skodwe Um Aelinaer Maessu..." he produced the oldest written document known outside Denmark wherein Skovde and Helena are mentioned  - the oldest one all categories, since the danish proofs are retrodated falsifications.

**1282 Vamb church was firstly mentioned (Hvam).

**1286 Tisvilde was mentioned for the first time: Tiswillae; vaeld means water-source.

**1288 Brynolf wrote his liturgical text to Helena after having sailed from Alvastra to Vanas Promontory  -  according to witnesses during the process of his canonization in 1417.

**1292 Una- Suna- and Winaman were depicted on Vaxjo Chaptre Seal.

**1292 Nikolaus IV, pope 1288-92, wrote a letter which includes among other saints one Elene and one Helene. This was a diary catalogue of the papal letters sent from the Vatican. The Helena-saint of Skovde here constitues the oldest proof of her existence beside the Brynolfian texts.

**1298 Brynolf  began building the bishop's castle of Lacko (it burnt down in the 1470:ies).

**1299 Brynolf gave his maternal heritage, "Vamb", to Scara cathedral.

**1314 (before this year) monks produced the proto-city-seal of Skovde, which is dominated by a genuine image of Helena. In 1314 a copy made of wax was hanging under a document.

**1317, 6/2, Brynolf died.

**1322-36 were the years (in Scara diocese) of the bishopric of Peder Larsson, born at Husaby. There are individuals today who believe that he is the originator of Brynolf's Helenic Office and other works.

**1335 king Magnus Eriksson used Helena's Day for dating a letter sent from Lodose city to Riseberga nunnery: "die beate Helene".

**1340 (Magnus var curatus de Schodwi et canonicus Scharensis).

**1344 "Virgo Helena" was included in the uplandian collection of reliques.

**1346 king Magnus Eriksson and queen Blanche included Helena's church at Skovde in their final will. This was the first time that Ecclesie Skodwi was mentioned. And Henrik Ludvigson, a canon of Upsala, did the very same this year.

**1350, for 31/7: Vadstena monastery described the martyrdom of  Helena.

**1350 Helena was included into the liturgy of the dominican calendar at Abo.

**1352 danish troops or the pestilence ruined Vamb church; everything which was incombustable remained standing though.

**1356 "Ecclesie Sancte Helene in Skodwi" and "in parochia Skyth" were written.

**1357 and -58: Helena's Day was used for dating documents.

**1358 bishop Nikolaus of Kolland added Helena's Day, 31/7, to the calendar of Scara.

**1358 there existed a Skovde Landsting (an administrative term), si crede fas est.

**1358-86, during this period, Skovde did flourish: 'Twas the bishopric years of Nikolaus in Scara diocese.

**1371 Eline parish had recently been named after Helena  -  present Eling p..

**1373 an indulgency letter was issued comprising 40 days for Helena's Source and Oratory by Vambo Rivulet, and the Oratory had just been renovated, by Nikolaus subscribed in her Skovde church the Tuesday after Octaua apostolorum Petri et Pauli 6/7, interpreted as 12/7.

**1380 farms in Hene were donated to Helena's church at Skovde. This was maybe the period when the church first was re-built totally  -  one of many transmogrifications.

**1389: Helena was endowed with a liturgical, birgittine text by Vadstena monastery.

**1396 it was decided at the Arboga synod that thereafter and for ever Helena was going to be the patroness of all Sweden.

**1397 premises in Havstena were donated to the renewal of Helena's church.

**1398 one of the ~214 species of Helena's own plant-family was mentioned, Inula, the first time in England: "Enula is an herbe and is oft callyd Enula Campana", id est Inula Helenium.

**1399 is a groundless and alleged year of when Skovde received its city privilegium.

**1400 and a number of years: Helena was included into a psalterium and into litanies within the cistercian order. She was included into the Hemsjo manual. In the course of time she was introduced into all swedish dioceses including Abo's. Her famous grating was made, which either was a portcullis infront of her hypothetic grave-niche, or a gate to the choir. A finger-relique of hers was embedded into the altartop of Molltorp church. The chapel, which people believe was a Helenic oratory, was built in real life and at Tisvildeleje  - the building time of the tale was retrodated to the 13th century, wasn't it.

**1400 the farm Lunden was donated to the construction of a tempel at Skovde (Helena's church).

**1400 the Helena Office of Codex Laurentii Odonis was hand-written, including the farm's name of Gothene.

**1403 Elin's parish had recently been named after Helena: "Elinae church was probably named after one of the holy ones of Westgothia, saint Elin or Helena of Skovde. The tale tells that this holy woman was killed by relatives of her son-in-law on her way to Gotene church, which probably ought to be Goteve, where the mentioned Elin's church has been named after her".

**1413 Skovde was regarded as a town; a "city privilegium" was mentioned.

**1416 yet another farm of Hene was donated to Helena's church.

**1417 a version of the Helena legend was presented in connexion to the canonization process of Brynolf.

**1425 Sigge, the bishop of Scara, issued a 40 days indulgency letter for Helena's Source and Oratory there on S:t Seurin's day 23/10.

**1425-95 a pulling-contest was going on between Helena and Mrs Brita concerning the spiritual government of the Skovde region. Helena won thanks God. But show me the joy that lasts  -  in 1962 Mrs Brita's new chapel was inaugurated at Skovde, placed high betwixt two major grave-hillocks. Its antependium has been designed by Alf Munthe. One can really wonder what Brita thinks of that her chapel is a part of a crematory and that its excess-heat is used for warming up houses with?

**1429, 18/6 (on Helena of Bruxelles' Day) Lund's archbishop Peder issued an indulgency letter for Scara cathedral on Helena's Day 31/7.

**1429 Helena's prebend by Scara cathedral was created.

**1430 (approximately) Mariager's Helene Kilde in Jylland was inaugurated, see Cod. Holm. K 46 chez Kungl. Bibl./ Stockholm; AF Schmidt in Fortid og Nutid V 1924-25 p.140. Helena was celebrated here 31/7 unranked, "widow Helene", according to their calendar from the second half of the 15th century and onwards, and this Helena's Day of theirs constitute the oldest documentation within the present borders of Denmark of Sankt Helene all categories; the next documentation occurred in 1512.

**1430 Helena's image was engraved on the brass plate of Henrik's cenotaph in Flandre, ordered by Nousiainen church north of Abo, set on the emptied grave. At his translation his [false] reliques had been brought to Abo cathedral. Nousiainen church itself was built in 1286; in 1720 the Russians removed Henrik's reliques from Abo.

**1435 an indulgency letter was issued for Helena's church at Skovde.

**1436, 19/11 at Vattlosa, Sven, the bishop of Scara, issued a 40 days indulgency letter for Helena's church at Gotene. This is the oldest proof of that this church had been dedicated to her.

**1440, 20/11, an altar to Helena (and to Anna, Mrs Brita and Elisabeth of Hungary) was inaugurated in Upsala cathedral.

**1448 the archbishop issued a 40 days indulgency letter for those who pray Pater Noster and Angelus infront of the images of Christ's Grave and of S:ta Helena in Upsala cathedral  -  with reservation for that this Helena really is the mother of Constantine?

**1450, soon after: Helena's church at Skovde was furnished with a brick tower and with a monument of S:t George and the Dragon.

** 1462: "fontem S.Helene et locum interemptionis in Gothene". In 1708 this sentence was published that the bishop of Vaxjo, Laurentius, in 1462 had issued a 40 days indulgency letter for Helena's Source and the site of her martyrdom at Gotene. Alas this indulgency letter seems to have been invented in ~1708, and it cannot be rediscovered.

**1467, 27/1 (on Julianus of Le Mans's Day) Helena's church at Skovde was mentioned in a document.

**1473, 10/1 (on Guillaum de Donjeon's Day) the same church was thus mentioned again.

**1480 an indulgency letter was issued for the same church.

**1480 the bishop of Scara, Brynolf III Gerlaksson, issued an indulgency letter for Helena's church at Gotene on the First Advent Sunday.

**1482 (+/- 3 years) Helena was painted on the wall inside Kumlaby church, Visingso, including a banner with her name on, see 1922.

**1492 bishop Brynolf I Algotsson was canonized or beatified.

**1497 Helena was styled Specialis Patrona Vestgotorum.

**1498 another Helenic prebend was created at Scara cathedral. The cathedral itself was dedicated to Virgin Mary.

**1498 Helena's day became one af the most important feast-days of Sweden placed on the same level as either of the feasts of Mary and as the Trinity.

**1498 the Helena Office in Breviarium Scarense was printed, including "Gothene".

**1498 a Helena's pilgrim's badge was soldered on a bell of Fredberg church.

**1500 (or a few years before 1500) the most of the wooden sculptures of Helena were made  -  that's what people guess today  -  and the most of them seems to be made by the same artist.

**1500 (some time during this century): The song 'Helena och Havsmannen' (Helena and the Man of the Sea) was written, which can be considered as a version of the Perséphone-legend. It shows too how spiritually dangerous it may be to go to church and how harmful mothers-in-law are!

**1509, 18/10 (on Luke's Day) Vincentius Henningson, the last Scara bishop (1505-20), issued an indulgency letter for pilgrimages to Helena's church at Skovde.

**1512 and onwards each Tuesday a Helena's Collect must be prayed chez the augustinians of Aebelholt monastery. This information of theirs is the oldest documentation of the cult of Helena in Sjalland ever, cf  1430 above. Script. rer. dan., VIII p.285, 300; V p.378; VI p.213. Go to 1627 and 1634 to find the third and fourth oldest proofs of Helena's cult within the present borders of Denmark.

**1512, 28/10, a framed painting of Helena fell against the retable of Asserbo minster, whereby the crown of queen Margrete fell out of a hatch (she lived from March in 1353 to 28/10.1412). Cf 1822 below.

**1520 a rhymed chronicle was written: "...aff Skoedwe then hellige ffru sancta Elin...".

**1525 Visnum church bought its retable wherein Helena is included.

**1526 Skovde received its (renewed?) city privilege letter.

**1527 the Riksdagen (~parliament of Sweden) forbade cults of saints.

**1529 Helena was liturgically adopted by the birgittines of Altomünster, Ms.415 (55 g 13) chez the library of Monast. b. M. v.ad Scot in Wien. The birgittines had included Helena in a Missal chez their hospital in Rom (Cod Vat lat.5742 Vat. Libr), and A 36 of KB/ Holmia shows another birgittine adoption of Helena in the Continent.

**1530 Helena's church at Skovde was plundered by the new government of Sweden.

**1533 a canon at Lund, Christiern Pedersen, wrote that Inula Helenium is an effective antidote towards poisonous snake-bites. He based this statement on the tale of Helena's exile and on the effect of the same plant on the island of Faros off Alexandria/ Egypten, an exile which had occurred som ~2333 years earlier.

**1534 "Sankt Helene Kirke" was mentioned at Lund, "fejl for Allhelgona kloster".

**1540 S:ta Helena's prebend by Scara cathedral was mentioned in a register of the possessions of the diocese.

** 1540- and -50:ies: During this period Helena's oratory at Tisvildeleje was demolished. Its ruin is deceptively called Helene Grave, because the investigation of 1923 showed that the elevation there is conceiling the walls of the 15th century foundations. There had never been any grave there, even if it has been claimed that the grave has been situated at a stone's cast from the ruin. One must remember, though, that nothing proves that the oratory has been dedicated to Helena!  -  this dedication was invented in the 17th century.

**1546 Elin ceased being an independent parish and was incorporated into Goteve; the church was dismantled in the 1590:ies.

**1568-77 Pierre de Ronsard wrote remarkable sonnets to Helena, surpassing Homer as to worship of her. He gave her the title 'Goddess on earth', inspired by the papal title 'Deus in terra'; thus he didn't hesitate to regard Helena as Goddess, whereby he proves that he is a true and praiseworthy prophet.

**1579 our swedish catholic martyr Johannes Messenius was born at Freberga/ Kälvesten; he wrote truthfully on S:ta Helena; two sons were executed and he himself was imprisoned for life because of their catholic faith; he died in prison in Finland 8/11.1636.

**1596 was maybe the year when the holy reliques of Helena were interred. The silver shrine itself was taken away from Skovde, allegedly, by the supermen of abraham angermannus. The expansion of Skovde was tampered with and a decay was commenced. "This is your moment; now the powers of darkness are ruling".

**1597 Skovde School was founded. <021203>

**1601 it was written in England that "Elecampane sprang first from, as it is said, the teares of Ladie Helena". The plant is Inula Helenium, see 1398 and 1533 above. 

**1605-16 Goteve was introduced (with a v instead of an n) into the legend of Helena thanks to Sigismund III's Officia Propria.

**1623 Johannes Vastovius invented that Helena had died in 1160 and that her father had been Guthorm Jarl  -  in his Vitis Aquilonia printed in Koln; he also described S:t Torsten of Vattlosa.

**1624 S:ta Helena's source at Lyngsjo was mentioned by Prestrelationer.

**1627 Helena was called a "missionary" in liaison to her source in Sjalland. The same year the priest Stephanus of Slangerup claimed that Helene Kilde had been given its name for to honour "Mrs Elin" after the christianization of Sjalland had been completed.

**1627 a tall cross by Helene Kilde at Tisvildeleje had the inscription that Jesus, the Son of God, Mary and St. Helene may be merciful towards all you sick or poor who come here.

**1634 the priest of Helsinge, Peder Lange, described Helene Grave and her nabs lying on the stranded reef which is called St. Helene Steen.

**1636, 4/8: a girl who had been bitten by a viper, drank Helenic water out of her Kilde at Tisvildeleje, and got cured.

**1640:ies: King Christian IV (1577-1648) wrote that by Lyngsjo Bridge there is Sankt Ellenis Source, streaming directly out of the ground with totally clear water; that people keep visiting it, and that there are many recently erected crosses with tufts of hair attached to them and sometimes money too. The same king sought refuge too to Helene Kilde at Tisvildeleje to get healed. It bears doubt though that the first danish-scanian mentions of Helenic sources use names like Ellenis or Helle Lene, since these names got nought to do with Helena.

**1640:ies too: Liars invented the "lid on Sigfrid's grave" inside Vaxjo cathedral.

**1643 the compilation of Acta Sanctorum was commenced, biographies of saints and martyrs, by the Bollandists at Antwerpen, and they swallowed without any criticism the wrong pieces of information on S:ta Helena, such as the wrong year of her martyrdom ("1160")... Since the original documents concerning her and other saints of 1145 +/- one decade had been incinerated, the document which popped up at Skovde in 2001 must be a phoney one.

**1647 Helena's stone off the beach at Tisvildeleje was described by Ole Worm.

**1650 Erich Hansen, Graested, described Helene Kilde in his Fontinalia Sacra.

**1658 Traditions on Helena were written down in Sjalland. The jesuit Henricus Lindanus sent this year a report from Copenhagen to pater Bollandus on Sankt Helene Grave at Tisvilde, printed in Acta Sanctorum, July, VII, p.330: Each summer large crowds of pilgrims arrived at this holy place; the sick and the limping stayed all night on the Grave, and often they left their crutches behind; they gave gifts out of gratitude for having been healed, and they carried with them from Tisvilde small bags with earth in, dug out from under the Tombstone.

**1667 liars invented "Sigfrid's Source" at Husaby/ Kinnekulle.

**1680 (or thereafter): Helena's reliques were allegedly shipped from Karlskrona to the Vatican.

**1686-90 Sven Jonsson-Tiliander visited the ruin of Helena's oratory and her source bt Vambo Rivulet during his time as the director of Skovde School.

**1687 the geometer ME Filmer made a drawing of Helena's church at Skovde. At this time it looked a mess. It had been without a roof for many years, and it had been patched here and there; it was out of proportions.

**1693 Erik Dahlberg depicted S:t Torsten's source at Vattlosa on a copper plate.

**1700-1705 Johannes Messenius's texts on Helena were printed, written during the first third of the 17th century. See Scand. III. Tom. 9 p.34.

**1700-1730, during this period a protestant effort was carried out to fill Helena's source at Gotene with earth and stones, but it got resurrected as a fountain not too far off. During this period Peringskold mentioned "Aelina Kyrkia" at Skovde; and before 1717 a copy of the seal of the Helenic Guild wound up in Dalarna. 

**1708 Erik Benzelius re-issued In Vite Aquilonia, see p.70. He seems to have been ruthless enough to invent the indulgency letter of 1462 which is mentioned above. His mention of S:ta Helena's source at Gotene is the first concerning it.

**1724 Holberg wrote a comedy, Kilde-Reysen, in which Helene Kilde at Tisvilde is included.

**1724-26 Erick Wallmarck was the priest of Skovde, so he was in the city, like Tiliander and Linnée, before the Firestorm. They saw Helena's church as it looks on Filmer's drawing (1687); they thus saw no transepts, but they did see an apse; they entered the cemetery through a roofed gate. Erick Wallmarck had acquainted himself with another Helenic parish namely Bjorkang's 1709-24.

**1725 sand was busy covering Sjalland, if not Tibirke parish.

**1725: "Anders Kraak lived at Elin-Stommen. He became priest without having visited any academy and became in the end too old and that brittle that no-one rightly could mention it out of politeness. He never had had any special abilities for the execution of his priesthood. Herr Anders at Ilum died in 1725 and was buried at Goteve where his tombstone is. He was the last proprietor of Elin-Stommen in Goteve parish".

**1730, 1/11 (Festiuitas omnium sanctorum) the greater bell of Helena's church, Skovde, cracked into two halves  -  a salute from all saints, who, at that time, were denied there!; a pedagogic punishment. All three present bells were re-moulded in 1908.

**1734: all traces of Helena were gone from her ex church. Her Grave was empty. Only a catholic incensory remained, hanging in its chains (until it was melted away by the coming Firestorm in 1759?).

**1734 E. Frondin in Upsala printed in De Schedvia the two famous letters of indulgency concerning Helena's Oratory close to Skovde of 13730712 and of 14251023  -  and the equally important one concerning her church at Gotene of 1:st Advent Sunday in 1480.

**1734-36 Anders Forssenius wrote about Helena and Skovde in latin: Disputation de Schedvia, see P.II p.59f.

**1743, 13/7, Rasch calls Helena a danish princess, cf 1843. He says too that Helene Kilde at Tisvilde is a twin-source  -  and it still is. This year seems to be the year when the hypothetical family-members of Helena in Scania and Denmark were invented.

**1744 it was written "St. Helenes Kilde paa Torget havde allerede ved 1740 tabt sit Ry for Hellighed", about her source in Nordlands Amt on the norwegian westcoast.

**1746, 27/6, Carl von Linnée wrote meantime visiting Skovde that this city was Sanctae Helenae Seat in days of yore.

**1750:ies: An ink-drawing was luckily made of Helena's Oratory by Vambo Rivulet.

**1754, 9/9, queen Lovisa Ulrika stopped the royal carriage when she caught sight of the sad ruin of Helena's Oratory, and she walked to it and pitied its walls and vaults. Her husband didn't bother to leave the carriage.

**1756 Vattlosa church was enlargened and medieval parts were destroyed.

**1756, 8/9, danish fishers were able to feel the indescribably wonderful perfume of the balmed body of Helena by the ruin of her oratory at Tisvildeleje. 

**1758 the Geodesic Authority in Stockholm produced a copy of Filmer's map of Skovde, on which Helena's church looks totally different  -  almost like the mass-produced "Tegnér's barns" but with an extra turret on the roof over the middle of the nave, like the one of today.

**1759, 11/9(sic) all Skovde burnt down, and Helena's church was severely damaged. Then the ruin of her oratory was wiped out completely above ground level since its stones were re-used in re-building the church downtown. "Your servants, Helena, love the stones of your temple, yes, we are even fond of its gravel and dust" (Ps.102:15).

**1765, 10/11, Helena's church at Skovde was re-inaugurated provisionarily.

**1767 GH Barfod made a drawing of S:ta Helena herself (at Skovde).

**1769 and for a few years there was a painting of Helena, dressed as a nun (O.Praem) outdoors(?) on the upper part of the southern side of the tower. A truly wise initiative, but of course an "ambitious" black soul made sure that it was removed. Perhaps the whole tower then tumbled down and it wasn't rebuilt until in 1828.

**1782 Vamb church was restored and re-inaugurated. (According to an incompatible tradition its Communion Bell had been moulded in 1744 and had been employed until 1796 spiting the inhibition for ringing such bells).

**1790 a memorial metal sign was nailed on the wall of Vamb church having a text which read that it is plausible that S:ta Helena has owned this soil thanks to a heritage from her father, and that she has lived here, wherefore the village has been given the name of Varfruhem (the foyer of our lady); and that she built this Temple in 1130 for her devotions and to the honour of Virgin Mary. The sign was still there in 1861.

**1812-16 PE Lindskog mentioned twice the right year of Helena's martyrdom  -  1140! He also mentioned Appollonia's Source on Lesser Meadow of Bestorp in Medelplana  -  its prime mention.

**1814 the sjallandian Helenic legend was written down. In the same year Just Matthias Thiele had, during a visit to Sankt Helene Brond (well) at Tisvilde, heard the narration directly from a farmer's daughter, which has been presented above.

**1822 a substantial amount of information on the cult of Helena in Denmark was published, see 1512 above. Helena is therein, though, identified with Helena Guthormsdaughter, who was holy too, and not with our S:ta Helena.

**1823-24 they removed Helena's and Apollonia's altars from Medelplana church.

**1843 Helena was called a scanian princess by JM Thiele.

**1850 there was a wooden statue of Helena by her Kilde at Tisvildeleje, but later (in 1872?) it emigrated to USA  -  it was brought thither by a mormon. Dunney says, though, that the statue there by the Kilde was representing Mary.

**1858 more Helenic traditions were described in Sjalland. In the same year Jorgen Sonne made a drawing of the Midsummer celebration by Sankt Helene Grave at Tisvilde, and in A.Schmidt's book this and similar drawings by Sonne are reproduced, such as 'The Sleep Of The Sick Upon Helene Grave During Midsummer Night'; in the back-ground the Midsummer fires are flaming.

**1868, 15/8, J.C. Watson at Ann Arbor found the 101:st asteroid, and its name is HELENA!

**1885 A Chr Bang reminded the world of St. Helene Kilde on the norwegian westcoast on the island of Torget.

**1888 the ursine or leonine portal was mounted in Helena's church at Skovde; the church was refurbished.

**1895 (some time before), the names of the four genuine Helenic churches of Scania were published in Denmark. At the same time it was stated that no church ever had been dedicated to Helena west of Oresund, and if Vilhelm Bang is right, it means that no document supports that the oratory (Helene Grav) at Tisvildeleje ever has been dedicated to Helena  -  a thing which nowadays is taken for granted.

**1898 Helena's (Elin's) source of Medelplana had been known for a few decades according to a newspaper article from 1955.

**1915 Pehr Johnsson invented the second pilgrimage of Helena and "Gothem" in 'Ur Vastergotlands Sagoskatt', the chapter called 'En Kvinnlig Pilgrim'.

**1915 B.Anrep-Nordin published in VFFT sequences and hymns to S:ta Helena.

**1916-20 fourteen oil-colour-paintings were painted by Ove Kunert (1893-1975) which describe the cult of Helena in the district of Tisvilde. They are mural paintings in his villa ibidem.

**1919 Bering Liisberg wrote her book 'Domina Helena'.

**1922 the first medieval mural painting of S:ta Helena was rediscovered, thanks God, painted in the 15th century in Kumlaby church.

**1923 Helene Grave in Sjalland was investigated: Here they could state that it is, as one can see today, the remnants of an old chapel from the 15th century. They didn't find the remnants of any ancient grave, but that is not the same thing as to say, that it thereby was proved that there earlier hasn't existed such a grave (or a juridical venue) on this spot, or that the two stones cannot be the divided lid-stone of an ancient grave.

**1926 Saint Helena Parish in Albany/New York was founded. The parish reaches from Consaul Road to Mohawk River and from McClellan Street to the eastern shore of Niskayuna. Its first priest was Joseph Dunney until 1934. Wrong Helena (Constantine's mother) is represented by the stained glass painting of the church. Apart from this, Dunney founded the gazette 'The Evangelist' 19/3.1926.

**1927 it was detected that no less a beauty than Helena had been regarding the church-visitors of North Ny church since 1764 from one of the shutters of the retable. Above there is a quotation from the text of the detector published by Svenska Dagbladet 9/7.1927. The find was signified as a miracle by him and as her answer to his prayers.

**1927 Helena's church of Skovde was renovated again.

**1927, 13/9, it was correctly reported that S:ta Helena is one of the saints in the retables of Rudskoga and Visnum churches.

**1930, in Oremus which was printed this year, the Collect was included from the 1:st vesper of the brynolfian text In Solennitate Sancte Helene under the headline: 31 July Sancta Helena, widow, martyr. Buried at Skovde, canonized in 1164. Church prayer...

**1931 Antonia Schmid wrote a chapter on S:ta Helena in her book on Sigfrid.

**1931 Sigismund III's Officia Propria was printed again.

**1932, 2/7 and 3/7 at Varnhem, a play was performed written by von Mirbach: The Play On Sancta Helena. Honestly a lousy play, but hopefully it served as a reminder of our saint.

**1932 a 12th century grave was detected under the floor of the tower of Vamb church.

**1935 Helena's source of Lyngsjo was correctly set in liaison to our S:ta Helena. In 1924 it had wrongfully been connected to Constantine's mother Helena.

**1936, 29/5, CR af Ugglas mentioned Helena again in Svenska Dagbladet.

**1937: Joseph Aloisius Dunney, 56, Albany, USA, wrote Saint Of The Snows  -  A Chronicle of the Holy Elin of Skovde  -  after 10 years of research.

**1938 Helena's holy finger-relique was donated to Scara museum by Molltorp church, where it had been resting in the altar since the 15th century.

**1939 Skovde communal escutcheon was approved of, which is dominated by its image of S:ta Helena.

**1940 Helena was identified in the retable of Kullings-Skovde. In 1878 a museum in Goteborg had bought it for 25 quids.

**1940:ies: Helena was identified in the retable of Grasmark. In 1877 it had been donated to SHM/ Stockholm.

**1943 the memorial stone was erected on the knoll of the ruin of Elin's church in Goteve parish: "Here has Elin's church been standing. Erected in 1943 (sic)"; outdoor services began being celebrated there. Elin-Stommen had been mentioned in eg. 1545 and 1715, where the priest lived, and it is situated 2 km thence.

**1945 the Order of Saint Helena was founded in USA. They own now 2 convents in New York and 1 in Georgia.

**1950:ies and onwards: A note-book, which they hide somewhere in Gotene, is treating of the secret life of S:ta Helena and is regarded as an authentical source of information by the library and by an inner circle.

**1952 Helena was identified in the retable of Onum church.

**1953 Gotene communal escutcheon was approved of by the authorities.

**1953 Erik Olson painted the Helena picture for the choir of her church at Skovde.

**1955 a photo was shot of a medieval cellar vault which was destroyed by excavators close to the gymnastics hall of Helena School in Skovde when the carrefour was enlargened. This may have belonged to the hypothetical monastery of Skovde; the "Source of Darkness" is mentioned in the context too.

**1955 the play 'Spelet Om Sancta Helena' by von Mirbach was reperformed  -  at Gotene this time. In 1957 it was rerun at Flyhov near Husaby.

**1955 the stone monument on S:ta Helena's source inside Arla's industrial site at Gotene was constructed.

**1955, 7/12, a newspaper article was published which constitutes the first mention of Elin's source at Medelplana. It treats of 1898.

**1956 the Helena sculpture of Toreboda-Bjorkang was reported, but it had been identified a few years before this. Sometimes it has been identified with another saint.

**1956 (at the earliest) the fenestrations of Scara cathedral, which comprise multicoloured stained glass mosaics jointed with lead, were made, and the main feature is S:ta Helena on the southern gable. She's holding a blue sword.

**1956 the memorial stone by S:ta Helena's source by Vambo Rivulet was erected, and in the same year the book on her was released which still is the best one: Det Aldsta Skovde och Sankta Elin (The oldest Skovde and Saint Elin). One can say that by this time there had started a renaissance of the Helenic cult.

**1957 von Mirbach wrote benevolent articles on Helena which were just as interesting as innovating; she seems to have been inspired from above.

**1960:ies and onwards into the third millennium: Several Helenic monuments and texts were constructed and composed.

**1971 (29/8): An altar of 3 tonnes  -  Helena's  -  was placed next to the choir altar in Medelplana church. For 150 years it had been cumbent in a stony field. It is going to be used as a baptismal altar.

**1974, in July, the sign was erected by the refurbished site of Elin's source beneath Bosgarden, Medelplana.

**1975 S:t Nikolai Guild at Lidkoping wrote an article in Lidkopingsbygden about Elin's source in Medelplana.

**1979, 10-12/5, the first post-reformatory pilgrimage was carried out to Helena's monuments of Scania and Sjalland and, 1/6, of Kinnekulle.

**1980 Saturnus's twelfth moon was named Helene; it is not perfectly round and it measures 36 km's at the widest point.

**1980, 18/5, Mount Saint Helens in southern Washington state exploded with an unbelievable violence.

**1981: Jordan B. Jordanov from Bulgaria carved a splendid copy of Helena and the whole retable of Grasmark church.

**1983 Tryggve Lundén's book on missionaries and church-founders of Sweden, including an ambitious chapter on S:ta Helena, was released. He adds a "digressive" chapter on her, wherein he presents the first known liaison between Helena and Ranneslov parish.

**1985 the hurricane of the year above the Mexican Gulf was named Helena.

**1980'ies, late: A school musical on Helena was performed at Scara. At the same time a pupil of Gotene collected information on Helena from books and from an OFM.Cap-monk of Lidkoping.

**1991, Tuesday 13/8 at 09.30, SSHGO was founded in the ruins of the premonstratensian monastery at Dragsmark/ Bohuslan.

**1992, 6-7/6: "Helena is the saint of Westgothia, and she lived at Vattlosa". "Helena was born at Vattlosa and died at Gotene".

**1992, Wednesday 22/7 at 09.45, Initiatio into the cult of Helena befell at her source at Gotene.

**1992, in October, the register card was written for S:ta Helena's source, 20 yards above sea-level at Lyngsjo parish as N:r 87 by Kristianstad museum.

**1993, 6/11, a priest re-inaugurated the source in the slope infront of Ranneslov Water-mill, and a sign was erected reading 'Sankta Helenas Kalla'.

**1994 Skovde museum arranged an exhibition about S:ta Helena, and they compiled information on her and shot new photos of some of her wooden sculptures, and their accomplishment was for sale there then.

**1994 a new and complete Sankta Helena's Mass was composed using the texts of the modern catholic Missal. Since then a lot of Helenic music has been produced.

**1996: A mural painting and ten relievos were made to the House of the Church at Skovde, all owning Helenic symbolism with references to both Westgothia and to Peloponnesos.

**1997, 24/2, our first internet texts on Helena were launched.

**1997, at Midsummer Tide there was an exhibition on Helene at Tisvildeleje.

**1997, during the profane Midsummer 20-21/6: S:ta Helena appeared next to her holy source near Skovde at midnight and in full moon light as a black cat, after the completion of a Helenic rite there. [After the first surprise had been calmed down we realized it was a real cat, not a saint in disguise, not even the reincarnation of a medieval cat].

**1997, 16/8, 17/8, another Helenic play was performed with music at Gotene. The woman behind it had been guided by a dream to create some kind a manifestation. The CD which was used to the play had been produced by a company in Sankta Helena Street at Skovde.

**1997, 3/10, a new Helena's silver ring was made at Skovde.

**1997: During this year they planned to 1.create a park in Gotene with a source and a riding Helena. 2.to create another park here with a stone relievo presenting Helena on the opposite side of the street where the city founder already is depicted, and with a small pond and a plantation of Inula Helenium-flowers. 3.to arrange a Helena's Marathon Race from Skovde to Gotene or vice versa. And in the same year all three ideas were discarded. An inofficial Helena's flag was created, based on the French flag since the preparations for Helena's canonization were carried out at Sens in France in 1164, or maybe the very canonization took place there. In the same year Berndt Tallerud issued a history book, 'Curoius of Swedish history', which contains one passage on Saint Helena and a North Ny-picture-drawing.

**1998 they intended at Skovde to name a clinic for girls suffering from anorexia 'S:ta Helenakliniken'...

**1998 Saint Helena's Trophy, Sankta Helena Basket and the social democrat union 'Sankta Helena S-forening' got Skovde-based internet sites.

** 1998, 10/5, a wooden sculpture of Helena was erected at Salt Lake City. It looks like the other ones, which were made in ~1500, but it is in a good shape, and it is surely new-made. Now it had been transferred there from Huntsville (or Hurricane) in Utah. We had reported a "sculpture of Helena missing" 21/8.1997 near Habo to a couple of mormon elders, and they promised to investigate to where they had taken it in 1850 or -75  -  from Tisvildeleje, that is.

**1999, 15/7, S:ta Helena's source of Lyngsjo was no longer detectable.

**1999, 21/9, the hypothetical "true source of Helena" was discovered along Vambo Rivulet.

**1999, in November, Joseph Dunney's book on Helena was translated into swedish.

**2000, 3/3, von Mirbach's Helena play was rewritten into modern and rhymeless swedish.

**2000, August-September, EM Gudvardarsen wrote at Tisvildeleje that Helena hadn't come there from Sweden but directly from Greece, and that she thereafter has inspired the danes.

**2001 in general: Yet another play on Helena was performed on the market square infront of her church at Skovde when the new year bells had stopped. 5-18/1 a play on Beautiful Helena was performed by Skovde Theatre. 18/4 yet another Helenic play was performed in Binneberg Court-house. 21-29/4 a Helenic composition was performed in her church at Skovde. 6/6, during the royal visit to Skovde, the Binneberg play was rerun. 31/7 a big Helenic feast befell by her source outside Skovde. All these things would have been fine on the condition that they had followed the only ancient document there is on Helena  -  Brynolf's liturgical text  -  and that they had withheld themselves from lying about her.

**2001, 1/1, a new communal escutcheon replaced the older one from 1939 at Skovde; Helena is its central feature. This new one is actually better than its despondent predecessor.  

**2001, 23/3, a pilgrimage was accomplished to the three Sankt Helene monuments of Tisvilde & Tisvildeleje, Danmark. Skov og Naturstyrelsen has erected signs by Helene Kilde, Helene Grave and Kildeblok with good, illustrated information on.

**2001 and 2002 (in the summers of) the bridge situated next to Helena's source outside Skovde was dismantled due to maintenance work, without finding any medieval stones from the ruined oratory inside it. 

**2001, 15/8, you could read in Gotene newspaper: "The tall flower to the right is a healing herb which Sankta Helena brought with her here to Gotene"  -  'tis an Inula Helenium, and thus the additions to Helena's memorial continue...

**2001, 9/10: A papal letter from 1292, which mentions Elena and Helena, wound up at Skovde more or less miraculously.

**2002, at springtime: A sign was erected next to Helena's source within the Arla industrial area/ Gotene, which comprises childish expressions, wrong spelling and wrong information such as that Helena would have been canonized in 1188.

**2002, 19/7, (three days in advance) the ten-years-celebration of Helenae Initiamente was successfully carried out at Gotene with eg. visits to her relique in her local church and to her local source, and with a specially required tart with a text on reading "SSHGO 10 years".

**2002, 31/7: In Skovde commune they decided to celebrate Helena yearly this day in her church and by her local source. In 2002 the celebrations started at 5 PM.

**2003, 20/2, a new search was carried out for a "flat stone with inscription" id est Helena's grave-lid, because they believe it to lie under a building which burnt down recently at Skovde. Nought was found.

**2003, 28/4, the official SSHGO internet site was up-graded.

**2004: An almanac for this year was made and ordered in 2003 3/12 presenting Helena's images of  Bjorkang-Toreboda, Grasmark, Gotene, Kullings-Skvde, Kumlaby, Norra Ny, Nousis, Rudskoga, Skara Cathedral, Skovde (Olson's), Visnum and Onum, plus the old and the new Helena-logotype, the Via Mons Helenae-seal, Apollonia's logo, the Initiation into the Cult of Helena in the source at Gothene in 1992 22/7, the Foundation of the Order of Saint Helena at Dragsmark in 1991 13/8, Helena & Innocentius II, a leaf of an Inula Helenium plant, and finally the seals of Barfod and Rabbenius.

HAIL HELENA, our Westgothian Saint!

1:st ed. written with pen and paper in the fall 1997 at Gotene;

transferred to discette and launched on inter-net 15-17/7-98;

2:nd ed. on "Gregorij pape et confessor" 1999, on inter-net;

3:rd ed. on "Eupli m" in 2001.

4:th ed. on "Maximi ep. commemoratio" in 2002  - 

translated from english to swedish;

up-dated on "Wenceslai m" in 2002;

re-translated into english on "John of Damascus" in 2002;

improved on "Viti et Modesti martyrum" in 2003.

S.D.G.