Sant'Elena or Sant'Elena fuori Porta Prenestina is a church in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

(

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

), in the Prenestino-Labicano Quarter, facing on

Via Casilina The Via Casilina is a medieval road in Latium and Campania. It led from Rome to Casilinum (present-day Capua), to present-day Santa Maria Capua Vetere. It was created from the fusion of two ancient Roman roads, the ''Via Latina'' and the ''Via ...

History

The church was built by

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

as a memorial of the 16th centenary of the

Edict of Milan The Edict of Milan (; , ''Diatagma tōn Mediolanōn'') was the February 313 agreement to treat Christians benevolently within the Roman Empire. Frend, W. H. C. (1965). ''The Early Church''. SPCK, p. 137. Western Roman Emperor Constantine I and ...

(313), when Roman Emperors

Constantine I Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

and

Licinius Valerius Licinianus Licinius (; Ancient Greek, Greek: Λικίνιος; c. 265 – 325) was Roman emperor from 308 to 324. For most of his reign, he was the colleague and rival of Constantine I, with whom he co-authored the Edict of Milan that ...

acknowledged Christianity as a licit and lawful religion within the Empire; it was dedicated to Constantine's mother,

Helena Helena may refer to: People *Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer * Saint Helena (disambiguation), this includes places Places Greece * Helena ...

. The church – based on a design by the architect Giuseppe Palombi – was built between 1913 and 1914, opened to worship on 2 April 1914 and was consecrated on 17 September 1916. Lapide padre melis roma

The church rises in the so-called ''Quarto di Sant'Elena'' ("Quarter of St. Helen"), mentioned into documents dating back to the last years of the 14th century. An act by notary A. Scambi dated 10 May 1379 refers to an eight-''rubbi'' (14,7 hectares) vineyard placed "''in quartum qui dicitur sancta Erina''". The prior of the cloister of Santa Maria Nova, on 15 October 1382, sold the fruits from the "''terre da sancta Helena''" ("lands of St. Helen") through an administrative deed by the Roman notary Venettini. St. Helen's estate bordered on the hamlet of St. John Lateran and on the hamlet of

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme The Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem or Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme () is a Catholic Minor basilica and titular church in rione Esquilino, Rome, Italy. It is one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. According to Christia ...

. On 25 November 1424 the cloister of Santa Maria Nova sold to the Lateran

Chapter Chapter or Chapters may refer to: Books * Chapter (books), a main division of a piece of writing or document * Chapter book, a story book intended for intermediate readers, generally age 7–10 * Chapters (bookstore), Canadian big box bookstore ...

a plot of 25 ''rubbi'' (46,2 hectares) through a deed by the Roman notary Nardo Venettini (Arch. Cap., Sez. I, t. 785 bis, vol. 10 f. 186). The edifice received the title of Parish Church on 19 March 1914 by Pope Pius X, through the

apostolic constitution An apostolic constitution () is the most solemn form of legislation issued by the Pope.New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, pg. 57, footnote 36. By their nature, apostolic constitutions are addressed to the public. Generic constitutions use ...

"''Quod iam pridem''", thus receiving the rights and incomes of the suppressed Parish of

Santi Quirico e Giulitta The Roman Catholic titular church of Santi Quirico e Giulitta (Saints Quiricus and Julietta) in Rome is named after a son and mother who were martyred in 304 AD in Tarsus. The church is located in central Rome behind the Forum of Augustus. The a ...

in the

Forum of Augustus The Forum of Augustus (; ) is one of the Imperial fora of Rome, Italy, built by Augustus (). It includes the Temple of Mars Ultor. The incomplete forum and its temple were inaugurated in 2 BC, 40 years after they were first vowed. History The ...

. Since 1985 it is a

titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church () is a Churches in Rome, church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the Holy orders in the Catholic Church, clergy who is created a Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal. These are Catholic churches in ...

with the name "Sant'Elena fuori Porta Prenestina". On the railway protective wall, close to the crossing between Via del Mandrione and via Casilina, a

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

cross commemorates the vicar Raffaele Melis, killed on 13 August 1943 by the second bombing of Rome – that struck the train of the former Rome–Fiuggi railway, full of people repatriating from Africa – while giving aid to wounded people.

Cardinal Deans

* Edouard Gagnon, P.S.S. (May 25, 1985 - January 29, 1996 appointed Cardinal Priest of San Marcello) *

Peter Poreku Dery Peter Porekuu Dery (10 May 1918 – 6 March 2008), originally Porekuu Der, was a Ghanaian prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Tamale from 1974 to 1994, and was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2006. He was the Bisho ...

(March 24, 2006 - March 6, 2008 deceased) *

João Braz de Aviz João Braz de Aviz (; born 24 April 1947) is a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life from 2011 to 2025. He began his career working fo ...

(February 18, 2012 - March 4, 2022); title pro hac vice from March 4, 2022

Bibliography

* C. Rendina, ''Le Chiese di Roma'', Newton & Compton Editori, Milan 2000, p. 96–97 * * G. Carpaneto, ''Quartiere VII. Prenestino-Labicano'', in VV.AA, ''I quartieri di Roma'', Newton & Compton Editori, Rome 2006 {{coord, 41.8873, N, 12.5263, E, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:IT, display=title Titular churches 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1914 Elena Rome Q. VII Prenestino-Labicano