Saint Helena and the True Cross

by Louis de Wohl

Set against the colorful background of power struggles in imperial Rome and battling Roman legions, this is the exciting story of St. Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, who found the Cross of Christ in Jerusalem. This book for young people paints a vivid portrait of a remarkable woman who overcame every obstacle with faith, hope, perseverance… and a healthy dose of ambition. In this 29th book in the acclaimed Vision Books series for youth, Louis de Wohl, known for his masterful storytelling, describes the amazing events that led to the conversion of Helena and the rise to power of her son. He also recounts the vision Constantine experienced on the eve of a pivotal battle and his subsequent legalization of Christianity in the fourth century. The story dramatically concludes with St. Helena's final accomplishment-her dangerous and miraculous expedition to the Holy Land. Louis de Wohl wrote numerous historical novels for adults, including The Living Wood , which is also about St. Helena and Constantine. He earned international acclaim for The Spear , and among his other popular titles are Lay Siege to Heaven, The Restless Flame, The Joyful Beggar and The Quiet Light .

Genres: Historical Fiction, Catholic, Fiction, Religion, Faith, Christian, Spirituality

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1947

About the author

Mr. de Wohl was a Knight Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre and his wife (nee Ruth Magdalene Lorch, whom he married in 1953) is a Lady Commander of the same Order. His fifty books include The Living Wood (Lippincott, 1947), Imperial Renegade (id., 1950), The Restless Flame (id., 1951), Throne of the World (id., 1949; published in England as Attila), The Golden Thread (Lippincott, 1952), The Second Conquest (id., 1954), Set All Afire (id., 1953), The Spear (id., 1955), and St. Joan, the Girl Soldier (Farrar, 1957) in the Vision Books series.

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely enthralling! I feel this book was not deeply historical but what to me was most important the personalities and spiritual development of the characters. The author follows a British legend in making St. Helena, Constantine's mother, a British princess, daughter of wise old King Coel. She marries Constantius Chlorus ["Paleface"] and has Constantine by him. King Coel prophecies he will be greater than his father, own all the land he can ride on, be a "bliss to his mother", and be "death to his son". Most of what is in the novel about Helena's life in Britain through the years the author fictionalized. The novel follows all three and it turns out as prophesied. Helena is set aside for the daughter of the Roman Emperor since Contantius' ambition is to be emperor. He finally reigns for a short time and is very mild against Christians during the "Great Persecution". Constantine spends many years in the army under the Eastern Emperor, Galerius. But he and the stalwart Favonius make a harrowing journey across the whole of the Empire to return to Britain. Helena has become Christian. At Constantius' deathbed the three reunite and there is a touching scene where he names Constantine as successor. Helena goes to the Holy Land in search of the "living wood", the Cross. I loved the banter among the soldiers before Battle of Milvian Bridge. Sharp, incisive writing, very descriptive; I felt like I could have known these people. Christianity is a theme but it's not treated in a saccharine manner.

Highly recommended. Arguably, the author's masterpiece.

[Miss K · Rating 5 out of 5]

You've done it again, de Wohl! It's hard to believe that I DNFed this book a few years ago, as it was AMAZING! Because not much is known about the life of St. Helena, this book is more fiction than facts. However, de Wohl does include a lot of accurate historical facts within his own fiction facts. The storytelling throughout was very enriching to the overall story, and I just loved the character development from beginning to end. The characters came alive, especially through their spiritual development. I highly recommend this book if you're looking for an enjoyable historical read. It's now a tie between this and "Lay Siege to Heaven" for my favorites by Louis de Wohl.

[Fonch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Affectionately dedicated to Jaime Blanch and Pol Ginés.
Ladies and gentlemen, first of all I apologize because I didn't keep my word to write a review every day. As one person I love very much told me, paraphrasing Stephen King's mother, https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... "to write a little bit every day." I'm not even capable of doing that. It was clear to me that I wanted to dedicate this criticism to the journalist Pablo J. Ginés https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... who works in @religionenlibertad. As you know, I wrote a review of the latest Asterix comic "White Lily" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... and I dedicated it to @religionenlibertad because if I hadn't read an article from that digital supplement (for me the best one that exists, surpassing @catholicworldreport or @imaginativeconservative) I probably wouldn't have bought it. Because nothing more was expected of the character. What I didn't know was that writing that review would make Pol write a comment. I was very excited. "Well, or bad, the important thing is that we talked about it," https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... and, I suppose, I inherited this from my father. I really like that my reviews generate comments and a healthy debate. Apart from the fact that it gives me good publicity in this case. For that, I thank him, especially knowing that his work means that he doesn't have time for these trifles. The second person to whom this book is dedicated is a novelist and he writes reviews is Jaime Blanch https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (I recommend his wonderful novels that I will soon take a look at) who has been interviewed by Pol Ginés and they have written a wonderful article that only English-speaking users can enjoy even if the article is in Spanish. Because for some time now @goodreads has not allowed you to post comments with links to pages that do not belong to goodreads. Criticism does allow it, but not comments. It wasn't like that before. A common user could also enter books into the Goodreads database. Now, unless you are a librarian goodreads, you can't do it. However, we are not going to weep for the past, but we are going to praise the excellences of the present. In that article that Pol has written to Jaime Blanch, he does something that is related to what I do. Talking about a book to refer to others. This is what the writer G.K. Chesterton called https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... the Moreffoc since we are talking about trees. Something that's going to be so important in "The Living Tree." The point is that thanks to one book you discover others and, that is what @jaimeblanch does in this wonderful article written by @polgines talk about a series of clean and valued and high quality children's books and, I ask people who read this review to pay attention to it because they are authors and, Books that are well worth a visit. I, who am a collector of Catholic writers, had heard of some of them, others I knew, but they have shown me people I did not know and this makes it such a valuable article and worth reading. He left you the link so you can see it.
https://www.religionenlibertad.com/cu...
That being said, my followers @goodreads can already be told what the last review of the year is going to be on Goodreads, not @instagram. It's going to be "Weird Like Me" by @juan_manuel_de_prada https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... I already know how to write it. In this case, it is not going to go from Instagram to Goodreads, but it will go from Microsoft Word to the rest of my social networks, since it would be very difficult to do it any other way. I also announce that before December 31st I will do an analysis of the gameplay that my friend made Turbiales Tiempo de Dados I don't put the @ on instagram because his Instagram hasn't given me permission to post him. I just hope he's not mad at me. Sometimes I admit that I'm enormously annoying and irritating. However, I really want to write a review of Baldur's Gate III https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... @baldursgatepodcast @larianstudios because I think it's not a book. The game has such quality that it transcends the literary or, rather, it is a literary saga in itself even though it is a video game and, as it is made of the material of dreams, it deserves an analysis. Once the pertinent introductions have been written and the necessary warnings have been made. The book in question can be analyzed. I have read almost all of Louis de Wohl's work https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (I post the author's profile to save myself from posting all his books). This was one of the few books edited by @palabraes that I had yet to read to him. The others are the "Assault on Heaven" about St. Catherine of Siena and "The Soldier Girl," the novel about Joan of Arc. That I resisted reading because I think I've already read the best novel about Joan of Arc. It's not Mark Twain's https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... also published in @palabraes (which is also frankly very good) "An Army of Angels" by Pamela Marcantel https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... published by the publisher @edhasa.editorial. I think it's very difficult to top that one. That's why I've been so reluctant to read Louis de Wohl. Louis de Wohl appeared at a momentous moment in my life. The first novel that was read to him was "The Last Crusader" about John of Austria (the only character in his novelistic work after his conversion or, rather, after he began to write hagiographic novels, which is not a saint) because Louis de Wohl had previously written successful novels, but they would not be the ones that would make him go down in history. "The Last Crusader" was decisive because I didn't have much esteem for the Spanish sixteenth century, I was more interested in the seventeenth century, but thanks to this novel I appreciated it again. Although "Jeromin" by Father Luis Coloma https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... goes all the way and, in the opinion of my friend Professor Manuel Alfonseca, is better than "The Last Crusader". No disrespect to the great priest of Cadiz, but I was more impressed by "TheLast Crusader" despite ending up in Lepanto and not in Gembloux which would have been logical. These two novels can be combined with "The Natural Lord" by Laszlo Passuth https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... (for me the big winner of this year, unless you find something better than "Born of the Purple" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... ). "El Señor Natural" told the story of Philip II's Spain and the drama of Don Juan. Although the story begins as a choral novel, in the end the protagonist is Antonio Pérez https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... (the arch-traitor par excellence). Although it does not deal with this subject, the novel "The Diamond Castle" by @juan_manuel_de_prada https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... (which tells the story of the confrontation between the saint from Avila and the Princess of Eboli) is very interesting, and the Jan Karlsen of Fred Saberhagen's Berserker saga https://www.goodreads.com/series/4050... it was inspired by Don Juan of Austria, although it draws heavily from the Black Legend (the treatment given to Philip II is clearly enormously unfair). From that novel to the vision of the sixteenth century and the reign of Philip II shown with its lights and shadows. I was impressed by two characters, Yussuf Nassi, the great Jew and his daughter, who would later appear in a very interesting novel "The Knight of Alcántara" by Jesús Sánchez Adalid https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... (not as good as Louis de Wohl's, but it was really interesting). Then "The Spear," the story of Gaius Cassius Longinus, was read to him. Anyone who liked Nicholas Ray's wonderful King of Kings https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... . Not Cecil B. De Mille's). It had an air about it. The sequel to St. Paul's "The Glorious Folly" had nothing to envy to Robert Graves' "I Claudius" duology https://www.goodreads.com/series/5744.... "The Golden Thread" about St. Ignatius of Loyola seemed to me Walraidian. In fact, this writer was compared to one of my idols, the Finnish Mika Waltari https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (some will have to review "Sinuhe the Egyptian", "The Siege of Constantinople" or, "SPQR" https://www.goodreads.com/series/2513... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... https://www.goodreads.com/series/7410...), also from "Quo Vadis" by Henryk Sienkiewicz https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... it can't be that one of my favorite books goes unreviewed. Two of Louis de Wohl's best works were "The Gentle Light" on St. Thomas Aquinas (very good) and "Citadels of God" on St. Benedict, although the characters he makes of Boethius, Cassiodorus, Theodoric, and Amalasunta are interesting. It is the luminous reverse of Robert Graves' "Count Belisarius" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...). Perhaps this man is no better than Mika Waltari or Henryk Sienkiewicz, but Louis de Wohl has something that these writers do not have, and that is that what Louis de Wohl is truly great about is that he tried to fictionalize the entire history of Catholic Church. Something I hadn't seen until now, from King David to the most important saints in the Church. It's a world like Balzac's Human Comedy https://www.goodreads.com/series/5670... .This was done by Louis de Wohl, a German father with a Hungarian father and an Austrian mother, to counteract the disastrous influence of Nazism on German youth by proposing edifying examples. As paraphrased @juan_manuel_de_prada of the Marquis of Valdegamas (Donoso Cortés https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...), when the religious thermometer is lower, it is when tyrannies appear more easily. A clear example was "Youth without God" by Odon von Horvath https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1.... What has surprised me about the "Living Tree"? Several things. It's true that it took me five days to get rid of it, but it was a really interesting experience. This novel must be compared to "Helena" by another great Catholic writer, Evelyn Waugh https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3.... The similarities they have is that they both make Helena a British princess daughter of the mythical King Coel to whom one of the Inklings Adam Fox dedicated a work https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2.... The King of the Brigobantes. Elena has surprised me with how current it is. She could be a woman of our time. Empowered (her idol is Zenobia who is currently fighting Emperor Aurelian). She is an anti-colonial woman who hates the Romans and considers that they are in their end, and she is not wrong. His father Coel, a kind of mystical, eccentric with prophetic characteristics, reminded me of Lavrans (the father of Kristin Lavransdatter of Sigrid Undset https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...). She is a Helena woman with a very accentuated personality and there is nothing soft about her. He doesn't take it well that his father gets along with Constancio Cloro. He tells her the myth of the living tree Ygdrassil (which is Norse, not Celtic, rather of the Germans). Coel is not a Christian, but he senses something and has the gift of prophecy. I don't know, and this is another of the novel's surprises, if Louis de Wohl met J.RR. Tolkien https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5..., but he drinks from two of his own (he knew G.K. Chesterton and mentions it in his history of the Catholic Church "Hanging on the Rock") from Tolkien takes the true myth and, in a conversation between Constantius and Curio they come to talk about the trilemma of C.S. Lewis https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... crazy, lying, or telling the truth. It is a novel of our time. Even in the best scene of the novel, the reunion between Constantius and Elena (Evelyn Waugh turns Helena into Constancia's concubine. Louis de Wohl makes her his wife. This is interesting for the plot, although in my opinion Evelyn Waugh was more realistic). There is a moment when he tells us something very grimdark: there are no whites, no blacks, but grays, and these grays chase us and torment us like wolves. In his novel "Imperial Renegade" he shows us this in the scene of the Abbot with Mardonius: if Louis de Wohl had wanted to write an amoral novel like the saga of A Song of Ice and, fire https://www.goodreads.com/series/4379... or, what is now more than fashionable, he could have done it, what proves is that what we think enormously modern is actually an old mistake of remote times. Helen's evolution is very interesting: she goes from hating Rome to desiring the Purple. Like "The Sword and the Serpent," Taylor R. Marshall https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... is a saint who is being forged. He even wonders if it is legitimate to assassinate Carausius. Hilario, who is the friend to whom Coel entrusts his fate. He sends a prophecy to Constantine that all the land he steps on will belong to him, that it will be greater than his father, and that he is destined to kill his son and tells him about the Tree of Life. Coel is not able to comprehend what the tree is, we enter a mythological vision on a par with a Mircea Eliade https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., or a Joseph Campbell https://www.goodreads.com/author/show.... Both the fictional characters I think of Favonio, Rufus, Vito, Bergovix, Crotus are very well made. Also Constantius Chlorus, the character I liked the most, has to pay a terrible price to free Britannia and his wife from Carausio and, Alecto https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1.... Maximian, Galerius (rightly blames him for the persecution of the Christians and releases Diocletian from some of the blame that Chateubriand used Diocletian to characterize Napoleon in "The Martyrs" https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ), Diocletian's hagiography of Constantine shows him to be more of a pagan than a Christian emperor. Impulsive, impetuous, arrogant, cruel (who abandons his first wife and murders his father-in-law). To me, in spite of how much we owe him, he has been an emperor that I have never liked. He is not very different from those criminal emperors that are described by historians, although he seems to me to be a very effective ruler and manager. To me the great emperor despite his faults is Theodosius I (although Jovian, and the Valentinians I, II were orthodox Christians). If there are so many, it's not because I think emperors are bad, but because the Romans were like that (see "Empires of Cruelty" by Alejandro Rodríguez Peña https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... and, Tom Holland's "Dominion" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... to make us realize what we owe to Christianity.) The normal thing is that in a society like this. People were like that. St. Albano is and has an important role and is decisive for the reunion between Constantius and Helena. It's very good as a Schillerian way https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (in Imperial Renegade this device was used to demonstrate the damage that heresies caused to Christianity and the divisions they created) tell us about the struggle of the five emperors. How Constantine, by means of the fourth Eclogue, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... discovers that Christianity and the scene of Milvius. Then the final part, where Elena has a terrible crisis of conscience, where she wonders where she has failed. What if you've raised a monster? The dialogue with Hosius is very important and shows him the importance of individual salvation, and that we are all sinners and that God writes straight with crooked lines and sinful men. I think it's a better novel than Evelyn Waugh's, although I like better how Waugh solves the discovery that makes St. Helena famous (apart from the fact that Waugh does tell you about the domestic problem that triggers the catastrophe. Here Elena finds it) Lactantius is only mentioned once here in Waugh's novel is key. I was very saddened that Arianism was not touched upon, and the Council of Nicaea was hardly talked about, and its significance and, as Donatism per se suggests, is not even mentioned. He's not the worst De Wohl, but he's not the best of him. But it's so worth it. Above all, this reunion after many years between Constantius (who will play a role similar to Philip II and Frederick William I) prepared his great offspring. As in "The Burning East" he did not know if things happened that way, but it is very likely that they did. Louis de Wohl has an essential characteristic for a historian A knowledge of human nature, common sense and logic. It would never have occurred to me that in "The Burning East" St. Francis Xavier would decide to postpone the evangelization of Japan because he knows that if he evangelizes China, Asia and Japan he will be a Christian because of the domino effect. The Infant Don Carlos it seems that we are listening to Nietszche https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... and his philosophy from his mouth. How he calls Constantine Constantius to save the empire from cruel and savage emperors and real tyrants. Deep down in your heart you know it's such a perfect answer that it has to be the true one. It is curious that at her advanced age Helena sought the tree of life to save her son. It is a novel despite the obstacles and some defects pointed out. My grade is (4/5).

[Tom LA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well the funny thing is that the blurb says "the renowned novelist Louis De Wohl", when in reality I get the feeling that many avid readers never even heard about De Wohl.

He wrote many historical novels, most of them about the lives of saints. He was catholic and his faith transpires from his books, however always in an elegant and open-minded way. He includes beautiful pages of philosophical and theological dialogue between charachters.

"The living wood" is considered one of his best works. It tells the story of Helen, mother of Emperor Constantin, who is said to have influenced her son into first protecting Christians within the Roman Empire and then later make Christianity an officially tolerated religion with the Milan Edict in 313 ad. We know he used and promoted Christianity as a tool to better rule his Empire, and thanks to Constantin, the Catholic Church became as huge as it did. What we don't know is whether he ended up actually sharing the Christian faith or not.

I read the Italian version of it and the Italian title translates to "The tree of life". Luckily, this book has nothing to do with the dreadful Terence Malick movie.

No one knows a lot about Saint Helen. We dont even know for sure where she was from. De Wohl makes her a princess, daughter of one of the last Celtic kings. Although this is just one possibility, De Wohl is great at mixing his own inventions and assumptions with the facts that we actually do know about the history of those times. The technique he uses is to show his charachters in brief glimpses through a long chronological evolution, so that by the end of the book we have a good sense of their entire lifetime and the defining moments of their llives.

The "living wood" in the novel is, at least, two things: the sacred wood In the old Celtic tradition, and the wood of the holy cross, from which the branches of Christianity grew. According to a legend, Saint Helen went to Jerusalem in search of the "true" cross where Christ was crucified, and she found it. De Wohl happily buys into the legend and includes that into his story.

I loved the historical detail, but readers who are after deep, accurate history are not going to enjoy this book. The main strength of the novel is actually to be found in the emotional currents that link its charachters. Perhaps this is ultimately the reason why De Wohl is not that renowned, after all, because it would be so easy to dismiss his work as historic soap opera. Or, even worse, label it as "Christian fiction". And many probably did.

But I feel there is much more to De Wohl. To me, this is historical fiction at its best.

[Aniela Rawdanowicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very moving and inspirational read.

[The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book. It seems like every Louis de Wohl novel that I read is my favourite until I read another, and the same is true of this one. As always, the text is mostly dialogue, and each chapter ends in a cliffhanger leaving you wanting more. You will learn a lot about history and have fun doing so. You will also learn about St Helen and her son, Emperor Constantine, as well as the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian.


The novel starts with a heavy dose of romance between St Helen and her future husband, Constantius. According to a medieval tradition, St Helen was the daughter of the legendary King Coel, who lived in Roman-occupied England. Although this may not have been true, Louis de Wohl seems to go with the version of St Helen’s life that he prefers to work with. Although not a Christian, King Coel is fascinated by the ancient story of the “tree of life.” He passes on this story to his daughter, Helen, who will eventually unearth the “tree of life” in Jerusalem.


Perhaps you recognize this nursery rhyme: 


“Old King Cole

Was a merry old soul,

And a merry old soul was he;

He called for his pipe,

And he called for his bowl,

And he called for his fiddlers three!”


King Cole lives in Camulodunum, which is modern day Colchester. We also meet the martyred British saint, Alban, who lived in Verulamium, which is now called St. Albans. 


A bit of background information may be necessary. Since Julius Caesar was more of a dictator than an emperor, the first Roman emperor to go by that title was Julius Caesar's successor, Caesar Augustus, who lived during the time of Jesus. He was succeeded by Emperor Tiberius, who also lived during the time of Jesus. However, when the Roman Empire became too large to be managed by just one emperor, it was divided into two halves, one in the West, and one in the East. This happened under Emperor Diocletian in 285 AD. In order to preserve stability, Diocletian also introduced the Tetrarchy in 293 AD. This meant that each of the two emperors would adopt their successors in advance in order to ensure a smooth transition after their death. The ruling emperors were called the “augusti,” while the official successors were called the “caesars.” Diocletian ruled in the east, and his successor was Galerius. Meanwhile, Maximian ruled in the west, and his successor was Constantius, the husband of St Helen. 


Unfortunately for St Helen, Constantius was made caesar only on the condition that he repudiate St Helen and marry Theodora, Maximian’s daughter. Thus, what starts as a love story ends in anguish for the both of them. Meanwhile, Constantine, the son of St Helen and Constantius, marries his childhood sweetheart, Minervina. 


Diocletian begins his persecution of the Christians in 303 AD. You will read about churches being burned down, the martyrdom of St Alban, and Christians being forced to offer sacrifices to the emperor. Although this persecution was carried out vigorously in the east, it seems to have been carried out with less rigor in the west, especially under Constantius. St Helen witnesses this persecution first hand and begins to sympathize with the Christian cause. 


After Diocletian and Maximian step down, Constantius and Galerius became the new emperors. Although Constantius had children with Theodora, he choose Constantine to be his successor, in part because his other children were too young, and also because Constantine was better qualified. Constantius reconciles with St Helen, explaining that he had always loved her but had no choice but to marry Theodora if he wanted to be emperor. When Constantius dies, Constantine takes his place. 


But things begin to deteriorate politically. While Constantine rules in Britain, Gaul (i.e. France), and Spain, Maxentius, the son of Maximian, rules in Italy, and other emperors rule in the East. Constantine has a son named Crispus with his first wife, Minervina. But following in the footsteps of his father, Constantine leaves Minervina to marry Fausta, the daughter of Maximian. Reflecting on her personal experiences, St Helen disapproves and refuses to go to the wedding. Meanwhile, Maxentius wants to overthrown Constantine. 


Constantine leads his troops to fight Maxentius at the famous battle of the Milvian Bridge, just outside of Rome. His troops are greatly outnumbered, and the danger is that they will mutiny and join Maxentius. After all, soldiers generally do not like fighting on the loosing team. It is here that Constantine has his famous vision.


At this point Constantine is not yet a Christian, although he seems to favour the sun god Apollo, and Christianity is still a marginalized religion. On the eve of the battle, he looks up at the sky and sees the sun shining in the shape of a cross, and his men see the same phenomenon. That night he has a dream in which the voice of Christ tells him that he will conquer in the sign of the cross. Early the next morning, he commands all of his men to paint white crosses on their helmets and shields. Although only a small percentage of his men are Christian, everyone's morale seems to be boosted. In the end, although greatly outnumbered, Constantine’s troops prevail over Maxentius and the battle is won under the sign of the cross.    


So begins Constantine’s conversion to Christianity. As the first Christian Roman Emperor, he proclaims the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, which officially ends the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. Although he does not make Christianity the state religion, the number of Christians in the empire begins to increase dramatically, and to the consternation of Rome’s dwindling pagan population. Constantine builds magnificent churches, such as the Hagia Sophia in his city of Constantinople (which is today a mosque in "Istanbul"). He also sponsors the Council of Nicaea, from which the Nicene Creed originates; but he does so without meddling in theological affairs. Church and state are separate for the first time.  


All that being said, Constantine postpones his baptism until the end of his life, reasoning that the life of an emperor will make the avoidance of sin impossible. He murders his son, Crispus, after his second wife, Fausta, convinces him that Crispus had tried to seduce her, having ambitions to the throne to boot. He then kills Fausta after catching her having sexual relations with a slave. St Helen is horrified, thinking that she has raised a monster. 


Constantine tries to make amends by sponsoring St Helen’s trip to the Holy Land to find the true cross. According to Jewish law, the bodies of criminals had to be buried at the place of execution along with the implements of execution. After months of searching, St Helen stumbles upon a hill on the outskirts of Jerusalem that gives pause. On that hill was the ruins of a pagan temple to the goddess Venus, built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian about 200 years earlier. Had the emperor erected a pagan temple on that hill to prevent the early Christians from turning it into a scared meeting place? Excavations begin, and several crosses are unearthed, including the parchment bearing Pontius Pilate's famous words: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." Also found are three nails and a spear. But which is the true cross? As Louis de Wohl has it, St Helen touches each cross to the body of a boy with a paralyzed arm. One of the crosses brings the boy's paralyzed arm back to life, and the true cross is found.  

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro es una joya escondida.
Flavia Julia Elena Augusta y uno de los momentos más importantes de la historia de Europa.

“La madera es sagrada. La madera es el desastre del hombre y el triunfo del hombre. Da muerte al hombre y salva al hombre. El mundo que conocemos está edificado sobre madera, sobre el árbol sagrado, el árbol de la vida”

“Todas las flores del mundo se inclinaban hacia esa colina… todos los árboles del mundo se inclinaban hacia esa colina”.

“Los conquistadores vienen y van. Solo el mensaje es eterno”.

“La enorme Cruz estaba iluminaba por el sol poniente; parecía un ascua, como si un flujo de rayos de Sol la recorriera y la hiciera brillar y centellear con un latido eterno”.

[Francesca Faedda · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Tutte le vie conducono al cuore del mondo, si dividono nel segno dell'opposizione e della redenzione. Albero della vita, testimonio di onta e di salvezza! Mistero della Croce, manifesto a coloro che credono in umiltà, che sperano nella disperazione, che amano senza egoismo!"

[Leslie Moellering · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louis de Wohl has not let me down yet. Light and fun to read, while still being an informative look at the life of Saint Helena.

[Anita Giannasio Mirisola · Rating 3 out of 5]

"L'albero della vita" è un romanzo storico di Louis De Wohl, autore di numerose biografie e agiografie romanzate, vissuto nella prima metà del '900.
La protagonista del libro è Sant'Elena... o meglio, la principessa Elen, figlia del sovrano britannico Cel, che secondo un'interpretazione più mitica che storica sarebbe stata la moglie di Costanzo Cloro. Il romanzo narra appunto l'incontro tra i due, la loro travagliata vita matrimoniale, la nascita di Costantino e le vicende che condussero all'Editto di Milano.
È stato molto interessante leggere i passaggi in cui Elena si confronta con Sant'Albano, percepire le fasi e le ragioni dell'abbandono del paganesimo in favore del Cristianesimo. De Whol è stato bravissimo a illustrare questo cambiamento graduale, ho molto apprezzato la sua descrizione della "setta" paleocristiana in un contesto di forte predominanza pagana, sotto le spietate persecuzioni di Diocleziano.
Questa lettura mi ha offerto la possibilità di conoscere meglio alcuni personaggi dei quali sapevo solo i nomi, ma non bisogna dimenticare che è profondamente romanzata, quindi vi possono essere alcune inesattezze.
Non mi è piaciuta la costante rivalità tra Elena e le altre donne (Teodora, Flavia e, in alcuni momenti, anche Minervina e la sua serva); mi è sembrato che l'autore volesse proporla come donna superiore alle altre, presentandola come un unicum di modello femminile autorevole in quanto si atteggia a personaggio maschile (va a cavallo, dà ordini, pretende invece di chiedere, ambisce al potere). Del resto, è un libro scritto negli anni '40 e ambientato nel 300 a.C., non potevo aspettarmi messaggi femministi... ma mi risulta sempre sgradevole quando una donna tradita incolpa l'amante del marito invece del marito stesso, è più forte di me.
Non mi è piaciuta neanche l'edizione, ho trovato molti termini scritti in maniera antiquata (che adesso risulterebbero errati) e, allo stesso tempo, alcuni anacronismi ("borghesia", "al tocco", "gong" non si possono sentire in un'ambientazione del genere!). Essendo un prodotto Rizzoli, mi sarei aspettata un editing migliore, seguito da un esperto di storia romana.
Detto questo, la narrazione è abbastanza scorrevole, i dialoghi aiutano molto a comprendere il contesto storico e i vari cambiamenti politici e religiosi in corso. De Wohl offre un'interpretazione personale (quindi non totalmente condivisibile) dei fatti storici e leggendari legati alla religione Cristiana. Presenta Costanzo e Costantino, protagonisti indiscussi e mitizzati dell'età imperiale romana, come uomini comuni, con vizi e difetti; da storica, ho apprezzato molto questo particolare.
Non è un romanzo storico accurato al 100%, né vuole esserlo. Lo consiglio, ma prendetelo con le pinze!

[Vanessa Montpetit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was phenomenal! I was given this book from a friend for my birthday, and later recalled that she is my SAINT OF THE YEAR!!
I read it on good Friday, and it was a beautiful reflection of how Christ works through his disciples and of the desire Helena had to find the TRUE CROSS OF CHRIST.

St. Helena faced many sorrowful and extremely trying times that made me both sit in awe, and in tears. She remained faithful and is a radical inspiration of faith. She also has a powerhouse, stubborn, and tenacious personality that was fun to get to know.

Louis De Wohl is one of the most talented writers I have encountered. He combines history, faith, intrigue, and truth through this novel. He does so with elegance and childlike airs that connect you with the Saints, calling you higher, and giving a warm feeling of mystical delight from his writings.

I can't wait to read another wonder like this!

[Celia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great novel from Louis de Wohl. I am so glad I discovered his books, even though it was only in the last few years. He takes Catholic history, and all those great saints, and brings them alive. This book takes us from Britain, when Helena was a young girl, and finishes up in Rome, where Helena is the elderly mother of Constantine. There is action, wars, romance, and spiritual truths abounding on every page. As the author notes, most of the historical facts in the book are true. I tend to believe that the rest are the Holy Spirit working in Mr. de Wohl. An excellent read.

[Sarcazzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

A parte che Elena non era celtica e che probabilmente manco c’è stata mai in Britannia (figuriamoci quindi figlia di un re locale), che Costantino anche lui con la Britannia aveva poco a che fare, visto che nacque nell’attuale Serbia, a parte queste grossolane inesattezze, non adatte a un vero e proprio romanzo storico, è comunque una lettura piacevole.

[Jedidiah Preble · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun Quick Read

A fun little children's book with plenty of historical details.
It covered much of the life of Constantine and included a great telling of the battle of the Milvian bridge.
Would have like to hear more about Helen's time in Jerusalem, it was only one chapter in the book.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had a few things come up which hindered my ability to read as much as I would like. This was an enjoyable read. De Wohl makes his characters so real and accessible, it’s like you know them. Fascinating storyline that didn’t go at all as I expected. Well worth the time.

[Karen Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just finished, "The Living Wood". A truly great book. I had to do my own research and discovered that Louis de Wohl did a great job keeping his novel true to history. Now I want to order more of his books.

[Stephanie]

I just bought a copy of "The Living Wood" from a library book sale. It is *not* the same book as the (excellent) children's Vision Books edition that I have read: "Saint Helena and the True Cross" although the author and subject matter are the same.

[Xavi Valles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buen libro pero... no es un libro de Santa Elena o de como encontraron la cruz, es un libro de aventuras de romanos. Interesante historia del emperador Constantino y su madre pero... Tampoco sabes hasta que punto es real y hasta que punto novela.

[Nancy Bellwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book fifty years ago. It moved me then and still has the same power. It is one of the I reread every few years. Wonderful book.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting accompaniment to the Sword and Serpent trilogy I read a couple weeks ago. Some of the same players- Helena, Constantine, Constantius- but a different perspective.

[Teresa Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Louis de Wohl nunca defrauda al novelar la historia

[Alison Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book emphasizes what De Wohl does best—symbolism and theme. A good read for Catholics, bring it to your book club!

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a GREAT Book! Loved the story... and the fact that it is based on TRUTH! Made it even better! Now I have a new subject to read about! Constantine!!!!

[Constance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a bit slow to get going but I absolutely couldn't put it down by the end.

[Michael Guillen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

A riveting recreation of how Christianity went from being a despised and persecuted sect to the official religion of the Roman Empire. Fascinating from start to finish.

[Pilar♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

No es mí estilo, pero no es malo

[Barbara Bricker · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good. Love Louis de Wohl

[Leslea Wahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic story about the lives of Saint Helena and her son Saint Constantine. While they are known as amazing early saints of the church, they weren’t always believers of Christ. This older book tells the fascinating story of their lives during a very violent, pagan period when being a Christian could cost you your life. I knew just a little about Constantine and Helena, so I thoroughly enjoyed discovering more about this mother/son duo. While Constantine brought Christianity to the Roman Empire, Saint Helena brought many relics of Christ, including the cross on which he was crucified, from Jerusalem to Rome.
The author’s descriptions brought the story to life. His portrayal of Helena as a strong, confident woman was wonderful. And Constantine’s battles and epic journey across Europe were thrilling adventures. The details about Constantius, Helena’s husband, and Constantine’s father, really added a new layer of depth to their background. I always had a fondness for these two saints, but now, thanks to this book, these two are two of my favorites.

[Moonlight · Rating 5 out of 5]

E' la storia romanzata della vita di Sant'Elena, ma collocata nel periodo storico che viene ben descritto dall'autore.
Ha inizio in Britannia, con Elena giovane ragazza, principessa, figlia del re Cel; si conclude a Roma, nello sfarzo in cui vive il figlio Costantino, imperatore, dopo che in Palestina Elena ha ritrovato la Santa Croce (Albero della vita) su cui fu crocifisso Gesù.
Donna di grande bellezza, intelligenza e carattere, oltre che di grande cuore, Elena ama il marito Costanzo, viene da lui ripudiata e continua ad amarlo.
Durante la sua vita, l'Impero romano passa dalla persecuzione dei cristiani al famoso editto di Milano, in cui Costantino consente libera professione della religione cristiana.
Da leggere.

[Fr. Daniel Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This dramatization of St. Helena's life is superb. You can never truly get a sense for who a saint was by looking historically, just as you could never learn about God from a history book. Learning about St. Helena's relationship with her father, husband, and son and how she grew in perfection throughout her life fascinated me and gave me strength to grow in holiness myself.

The historical events were also helpful and accurate, but the storytelling was exquisite. I'd recommend anything De Wohl.