Helen of Anjou

Helen of Anjou or Hélène d'Anjou (Serbian Cyrillic: Јелена Анжујска, Serbian Latinic: Jelena Anžujska; 1230 - February 8, 1314) was a Serbian queen, wife of Serbian king Stefan Uroš I and mother of kings Dragutin and Milutin.

Hélène maried Uroš I around 1250. She descended from the side branch of the Byzantine emperor's family and the Hungarian royal house. It is also known that she was a relative of Charles I of Naples, who mentioned her as a relative in a letter dated 1273.

With Uroš I she had at least four children:
*Dragutin, Serbian king 1276-1282
*Milutin, Serbian king 1282-1321
*Stefan
*Brnča, daughter

For some time, she was a ruler of Zeta, Travunia, Plav and Poibarje. During that time, Serbia was divided into three parts, and the rulers of the other two parts were Dragutin and Milutin. Hélène became a nun at the Church of St. Nicholas in Shkodër, where she died on 8 February 1314.

She founded the first girl's school in medieval Serbia. Hélène's palace was in modern Kosovo, in the town of Brnjaci, on Mokra Gora mountain (not to be confused with Mokra Gora village), where the school was located. Other than this palace, she possessed the town of Jelač at Rogozna mountain. As did other Nemanjićs, she built monasteries. She built the Gradac monastery, where she was buried, and the Church of St. Nicholas in Shkodër where she died.

Hélène d'Anjou was canonized by the Serbian Orthodox Church. Her feast day is 30 October (Julian calendar) or 12 November (Gregorian calendar).

ee also

*Rulers of Serbia
*House of Nemanjić
*Anjou

External links

* [http://www.srpsko-nasledje.co.yu/sr-c/1998/10/article-10.html Srpsko nasleđe: Sveta Jelena Anžujska] sr icon
* [http://www.srpsko-nasledje.co.yu/sr-c/1998/05/article-10.html Srpsko nasleđe: Nemanjići i žene] sr icon
* [http://www.gazimestan.com/zitijasvetih/Oktobar/Sv_Jelena-30_oktobar.html Justin Popović: Spomen svete Jelene, kraljice srpske (Žitija svetih za oktobar)] sr icon
* [http://www.dijaspora.ch/cp/main/mostovi/upoznajmosrbiju/manastirgradac Manastir Gradac: Gradila ga Jelena Anžujska] sr icon
* [http://www.srpskoblago.org/Archives/Sopocani/exhibits/digital/outer-n,portraits-nrfew/index_s.html Portreti kraljevske porodice Nemanjića na istočnom zidu Sopoćana] sr icon
* [http://www.rastko.org.yu/rastko-bl/istorija/corovic/istorija/3_4.html Vladimir Ćorović "Istorija srpskog naroda": Zapadnjačka opijentacija u Srbiji] sr icon
* [http://forum.krstarica.com/showthread.php?t=68470 Jelena Anžujska, tema na istorijskom forum]
*Genealogics name|id=00165016
*

Persondata
NAME = d'Anjou, Helene
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Serbian queen
DATE OF BIRTH = 1230
PLACE OF BIRTH = unknown
DATE OF DEATH = February 8, 1314
PLACE OF DEATH = Shkodër, Albania