![The Chapel of Saint Helena is a 12th-century Armenian church in the lower level of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
In the south east of the chapel there is a chair which was reputed to be a seat that was sat in by Saint Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine when she was looking for the True Cross. There are two apses in the church, one dedicated to Saint Helena and one to the penitent thief on the cross. The chapel is modestly adorned in memory of Saint Helena's simplicity.
The chronicler William of Tyre reports on the renovation of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the mid-12th century. The crusaders investigated the eastern ruins on the site, occasionally excavating through the rubble, and while attempting to reach the cistern where the True Cross was believed to have been found, they discovered part of the original ground level of Hadrian's temple enclosure; they decided to transform this space into a chapel dedicated to Helena, widening their original excavation tunnel into a proper staircase.
During 1973–1978 restoration works and excavations were made on the Holy Sepulchre To the east of the Chapel of St. Helena, the excavators discovered a void containing a 2nd-century drawing of a roman ship, two low walls which supported the platform of Hadrian's 2nd-century temple, and a higher 4th century wall built to support Constantine's basilica; the Armenian authorities have recently converted this archaeological space into the Chapel of Saint Vartan, and created an artificial walkway over the quarry on the north of the chapel, so that the new Chapel could be accessed (by permission) from the Chapel of St. Helena.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also called the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, or the Church of the Resurrection by Eastern Christians, is a church within the Christian Quarter of the walled Old City of Jerusalem. It is a few steps away from the Muristan.
The site is venerated as Golgotha (the Hill of Calvary), where Jesus was crucified, and is said also to contain the place where Jesus was buried (the Sepulchre). The church has been a paramount – and for many Christians the most important – pilgrimage destination since at least the 4th century, as the purported site of the resurrection of Jesus. Today it also serves as the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, while control of the building is shared between several Christian churches and secular entities in complicated arrangements essentially unchanged for centuries. Today, the church is home to branches of Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy as well as to Roman Catholicism.
Anglican and Protestant Christians have no permanent presence in the Church – and some have regarded the alternative Garden Tomb, elsewhere in Jerusalem, as the true place of Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection [Wikipedia.org]](https://prod-images.planyourroadtrips.com/img/city-images/saint-helena-au--377000-1451333/0-Chapel_of_Saint_Helena_in_the_lower_level_of_The_Church_of_the_Holy_Sepulchre__10806198943_.jpg?w=1080&q=80&f=webp)
landmark
Melbourne Zoo
Australia's oldest zoo established in 1862, home to over 320 animal species in the heart of Melbourne.
19 km · about 20 min drive
OceaniaAustraliaVictoria
Saint Helena
Victoria, Australia · Oceania
About Saint Helena
Saint Helena works well as a base: 5 minutes from Lower Plenty, 19km from Melbourne Zoo.
Saint Helena is in Victoria, Australia, with about 2,900 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Lower Plenty, about 4 km away.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Saint Helena?
Within an hour or so of Saint Helena: Melbourne Zoo (19 km), Pellegrini's Espresso Bar (19 km), Petrol Circus (20 km), SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium (20 km).
Where is Saint Helena?
Saint Helena is in Victoria, Australia, about 4 km from Lower Plenty.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 2,890
- Continent
- Oceania
- Country
- Australia
- Region
- Victoria
- Timezone
- Australia/Melbourne
- Coordinates
- -37.7000, 145.1333
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Australia
112 works from mobiles. Distances between fuel stops in the outback can exceed 200 km: plan ahead. Wildlife is most active at dawn/dusk.
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Worth the detour from Saint Helena
7 notable places within an hour's drive.
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Pellegrini's Espresso Bar
Melbourne's oldest espresso bar, opened in 1954 on Bourke Street with the city's first commercial espresso machine and an unchanged Formica bar. Order at the counter and eat standing or in the back kitchen.
19 km · about 20 min drive
landmark
Petrol Circus
Melbourne's automotive culture and lifestyle brand hosting regular car meets, rides, and community events across the city.
20 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium
Melbourne's premier aquarium on the Yarra River featuring Antarctic ice displays and an oceanarium with sharks and rays.
20 km · about 25 min drive
racetrack
Albert Park Circuit
Melbourne's lakeside street circuit, traditional F1 season opener
22 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Luna Park Melbourne
Historic St Kilda amusement park opened in 1912 with its iconic laughing face entrance on the waterfront.
23 km · about 25 min drive
racetrack
Sandown Raceway
A fast, flat 3.1km circuit inside a Melbourne horse racing course, running since 1962 and one of the last surviving old-school Australian touring car venues.
28 km · about 30 min drive
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