The Parish of St. Helier is one of the twelve Parishes of Jersey, and is home to about a third of the population. The crest of the Parish of St. Helier is two crossed axes on a blue background. Why the axes? And who exactly was St. Helier?

Helier (in Latin: Helerius) was born in Tongres in Belgium, probably between 510 and 520 AD. He probably arrived in Jersey around 535 - 545 AD. He was martyred in approximately 550-560 AD.

The Bollandist Fathers published hagiographies of Helier and his associates in the 'Acta Sanctorum' published in Antwerp in 1725. The Life of St. Helier gives the following information:

Helier's father was a noble of Tongres, called Sigebert (or Sigebard) who married a Swabian woman called Lusegard (or Lusigard). After seven years of marriage, however, they had had no children. They were pagans, but after all prayers to the idols had failed, they turned to a Christian teacher named Cunibert. He agreed to intercede, but made them promise that they would dedicate the child to God as a Christian. Cunibert's prayers were successful, and Sigebert and Lusegard had a son.

However, they immediately reverted to their pagan ways, and forgot their promise. When the boy was seven years old, though, he fell ill and was paralysed. In desperation, Sigebert finally handed his son over to St. Cunibert, and the boy was cured. Cunibert renamed him Helier and took him into the church and educated him. Helier started performing miracles (among them: negotiating with the rabbits that plagued his garden so that they could share the vegetables that grew there; curing blindness; removing a snake from the mouth of a man who had had the misfortune of having it slither in there while he was asleep). Sigebert was furious because he wanted his son back, and had grave suspicions of the miracles which he ascribed to wizardry, and so he had St. Cunibert killed.

Helier was heartbroken, and ran away. After much wandering (punctuated by more miracles), he was directed by God to go to Nanteuil in the Cotentin, and find a holy man called Marculf. Marculf baptized him and sent him to an island called Gersut, or Agna (i.e. Jersey). There were only about thirty people left on the Island at that time due to regular attacks by Viking pirates. Helier found a little rock to live on by an Islet out in a bay on the South coast and started life as a hermit, attended by a companion called Romard. He was visited by St. Marculf, and while Marculf was there, the Vikings arrived on a raid. Marculf and Helier prayed and made the sign of the Cross, and God raised a mighty storm which destroyed the Vikings and their ships.

Marculf left Helier alone on his rock, and Helier remained there for fifteen years, only eating once a week, until he was so weakened from hunger and the rigours of life on his exposed rock that he could barely move. Eventually Christ appeared to Helier and told him he was to come to Him. Helier said his farewells and prepared himself for martyrdom. Three days later, a large number of Vandals arrived in a fleet of ships and started to lay waste to the Island. One of the Vandals found St. Helier and cut off his head. The Saint picked up his head and walked towards the shore. The Vandals ran away in great terror, and the Island was saved.

July 16 was St Helier's Day and to celebrate the library had an exhibit of St Heliers history, including photos of old St Heliers.

Known to the Maoris as Whanganui (Big Bay) and to early European settlers as Goodfellow's Beach and Glen Orchard, the bay received its current name in the early1880s after the Northcote Land company acquired a large chunk of the area for subdivision. The name came from its similarity to a bay in the island of Jersey.

To improve access and attract buyers a 1500 foot long wharf was built but initial sales were still slow. In 1899 there were 20 permanent residences, and a number of baches. On holidays the bay would attract about 3500 visitors.

The library has a few publications giving details of the bay's history. These include pamphlets from the St Heliers Bay Centennial Committee, and Elizabeth T. Jackson's book "Delving into the past of Auckland's eastern suburbs: St Heliers Bay".

Historic photos of the area are held by the library, and are also available on the library's website (under Heritage Images Online) and through SEEK on the library's computers. Photos can be ordered online.

Library website: www.aucklandcitylibraries.com