Helen Equal to the Apostles Queen of Constantinople. Life of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen Equal-to-the-Apostles Kings Constantine and Helen

07.02.2024

1. Saints Equal to the Apostles Constantine and Helen are not husband and wife, but son and mother.
2. Saint Constantine was baptized at the very end of his life.

In the 4th century, there was a widespread custom of postponing the sacrament for an indefinite period of time, in the hope of receiving remission of all sins through baptism accepted at the end of life. Emperor Constantine, like many of his contemporaries, followed this custom.

At the beginning of 337, he went to Helenopolis to use the baths. But, feeling worse, he ordered himself to be transported to Nicomedia and in this city he was baptized on his deathbed. Before his death, having gathered the bishops, the emperor admitted that he dreamed of being baptized in the waters of the Jordan, but by the will of God he was accepting it here.

3. Empress Elena was of a simple family.

According to modern historians, Elena helped her father at the horse station, poured wine for travelers waiting for the horses to be re-harnessed and re-mounted, or simply worked as a servant in a tavern. There she apparently met Constantius Chlorus, under Maximian Herculius, who became Caesar of the West of the Roman Empire. In the early 270s she became his wife.

4. The Roman Catholic Church did not include the name of Emperor Constantine in the calendar, but Western bishops relied on his authority when trying to gain supreme power in the Church and in Europe in general.

The basis for such claims was the “Donation of Constantine” - a forged deed of gift from Constantine the Great to Pope Sylvester.

The “letter” states that Constantine the Great, upon his baptism by Pope Sylvester and upon his healing from leprosy, which he had previously been afflicted with, presented the pope with signs of imperial dignity, the Lateran palace, the city of Rome, Italy and all Western countries. He moved his residence to the eastern countries on the grounds that it is not appropriate for the head of an empire to live where the head of a religion resides; finally, the Pope was given supremacy over both the four sees - Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem and Constantinople - and over all the Christian churches throughout the universe.

The fact of forgery was proven by the Italian humanist Lorenzo della Valla in his essay “On the Gift of Constantine” (1440), published in 1517 by Ulrich von Hutten. Rome completely abandoned this document only in the 19th century.

5. Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity, but did not make it the state religion.

In 313, Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, proclaiming religious tolerance throughout the Roman Empire. The direct text of the edict has not reached us, but it is quoted by Lactantius in his work “On the Death of Persecutors.”

In accordance with this edict, all religions were equal in rights, thus, traditional Roman paganism lost its role as an official religion. The Edict particularly singles out Christians and provides for the return to Christians and Christian communities of all property that was taken from them during the persecution.

The Edict also provided for compensation from the treasury for those who came into possession of property previously owned by Christians and were forced to return this property to the former owners.

The opinion of a number of scientists that the Edict of Milan proclaimed Christianity as the only religion of the empire does not find, according to the point of view of other researchers, confirmation either in the text of the edict or in the circumstances of its composition.

6. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross appeared in the church calendar thanks to the activities of Saints Constantine and Helen.

In 326, at the age of 80, Queen Helena went to the Holy Land with the goal of finding and visiting places consecrated by the most important events in the life of the Savior. She undertook excavations at Golgotha, where, having excavated the cave in which, according to legend, Jesus Christ was buried, she found the Life-Giving Cross.

The Exaltation is the only holiday that began simultaneously with the event itself to which it is dedicated. The First Exaltation was celebrated at the very discovery of the Cross in the Jerusalem Church, i.e. in the 4th century. And the fact that this holiday was soon combined (in 335) with the consecration of the magnificent Church of the Resurrection, built by Constantine the Great on the site of the discovery of the Cross, made this holiday one of the most solemn of the year.

7. Thanks to Empress Helena, a number of temples were built in the Holy Land.

The earliest historians (Socrates Scholasticus, Eusebius Pamphilus) report that during her stay in the Holy Land, Helena founded three churches at the sites of the Gospel events.

on Golgotha - Church of the Holy Sepulchre;
in Bethlehem - Basilica of the Nativity;
on the Mount of Olives - the church above the site of the Ascension of Christ;

The Life of Saint Helena, written later, in the 7th century, contains a more extensive list of buildings, which, in addition to those already listed, includes:

in Gethsemane - the Church of the Holy Family;
in Bethany - the church over the tomb of Lazarus;
in Hebron - the church at the Oak of Mamre, where God appeared to Abraham;
near Lake Tiberias - the Temple of the Twelve Apostles;
at the site of the ascension of Elijah - a temple in the name of this prophet;
on Mount Tabor - a temple in the name of Jesus Christ and the apostles Peter, James and John;
at the foot of Mount Sinai, near the Burning Bush, there is a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and a tower for monks.

8. The city of Constantinople (now Istanbul) was named after Saint Constantine, who moved the capital of the Roman Empire there.

Having abandoned paganism, Constantine did not leave ancient Rome, which was the center of the pagan state, as the capital of the empire, but moved his capital to the east, to the city of Byzantium, which was renamed Constantinople.

9. One of the oldest Bulgarian resorts on the Black Sea coast is named after Saints Constantine and Helena. It is located 6 kilometers northeast of the city of Varna.

In addition to the usual entertainment venues, hotels and sports facilities, the complex includes a chapel that was once part of a monastery built in honor of Emperor Constantine and his mother Empress Helena. Even before the Bulgarians, this coast was inhabited by the Greeks. The entire nearby area was a colony of the Byzantine Empire and was called Odessos.

10. The island of Saint Helena, to which Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled, is also named after the mother of Saint Constantine. It was discovered by the Portuguese navigator Joao da Nova while traveling home from India on May 21, 1502, the feast day of this saint.

The Portuguese found the island uninhabited; there was plenty of fresh water and wood on it. The sailors brought domestic animals (mostly goats), fruit trees, vegetables, built a church and a couple of houses, but they did not establish a permanent settlement. Since its discovery, the island has become critical for ships returning with cargo from Asia to Europe. In 1815, Saint Helena became the place of exile for Napoleon Bonaparte, who died there in 1821.

Flavia Julia Helena Augusta, Equal-to-the-Apostles Queen Helena, Saint Helena - all these are the names of the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine I, who went down in history thanks to her activities in spreading Christianity and finding the Holy Sepulcher and the Life-Giving Cross during excavations in Jerusalem. On May 21 (June 3), according to the Julian calendar, the celebration of Tsar Constantine I and his mother, Queen Helena, takes place.

The approximate years of Helen's life are 250-337. n. e. She was born in the small village of Drepana, near Constantinople. Later, her son, Emperor Constantine the Great, renamed it Helenopolis (today Hersek). In the early 270s, Helen became the wife of the future Caesar Constantius Chlorus.

On February 27, 272, Helen gave birth to a son, Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantine, the future emperor who made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire. In 305, Constantine was installed as the father-emperor of the western part of the Roman Empire, and in 330 he officially moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Byzantium and named it New Rome.

In 324, Helen’s son proclaimed her “August”: “he crowned his godly mother Helen with the royal crown and allowed her, as a queen, to mint her own coins” and manage the royal treasury. The first coins depicting Helen, where she is titled Nobilissima Femina (“most noble woman”), were minted in 318-319.

In 312, Constantine entered into a power struggle with the usurper Maxentius. On the eve of the decisive battle, Christ appeared to Constantine in a dream, who commanded that the Greek letters XP be inscribed on the shields and banners of his army - and then he would win (“and thus win”). And the next day Constantine had a vision of a cross in the sky. And so it happened, Constantine became the emperor of the western part of the Roman Empire. He succeeded in completely unifying the lands in 321.

Having become the sovereign ruler of the western part of the Roman Empire, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan on religious tolerance in 313, and in 323, when he reigned as the sole emperor over the entire Roman Empire, he extended the Edict of Milan to the entire eastern part of the empire. After three hundred years of persecution, Christians for the first time had the opportunity to openly confess their faith in Christ.

While in Palestine, the holy queen did a lot for the benefit of the Church. She ordered to free all places associated with the earthly life of the Lord and His Most Pure Mother from all traces of paganism, and ordered the erection of Christian churches in these memorable places. Above the Cave of the Holy Sepulcher, Emperor Constantine himself ordered the construction of a magnificent temple in honor of the Resurrection of Christ.

The earliest historians (Socrates Scholasticus, Eusebius Pamphilus) write that during Helen’s stay in the Holy Land, three temples were founded at the sites of the Gospel events:
. on Golgotha - the Church of the Holy Sepulcher;
. in Bethlehem - Basilica of the Nativity;
. on the Mount of Olives - a church over the site of the Ascension of Christ.

The Life of Saint Helena, described later in the 7th century, contains a more extensive list of buildings, which, in addition to those listed, includes:
. in Gethsemane - the Church of the Holy Family;
. in Bethany - the church over the tomb of Lazarus;
. in Hebron - the church at the Oak of Mamre, where God appeared to Abraham;
. near Lake Tiberias - the Temple of the Twelve Apostles;
. at the site of the ascension of Elijah - a temple in the name of this prophet;
. on Mount Tabor - a temple in the name of Jesus Christ and the apostles Peter, James and John;
. at the foot of Mount Sinai, near the Burning Bush, there is a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and a tower for monks

According to the description of Socrates Scholasticus, Queen Helen divided the Life-Giving Cross into two parts: she placed one in a silver vault and left it in Jerusalem, and sent the second to her son Constantine, who placed it in his statue mounted on a column in the center of Constantine Square. Elena also sent two nails from the Cross to her son (one was placed in the diadem, and the second in the bridle).

In 326, when Queen Helen was returning from Palestine to Constantinople, a storm forced Queen Helen to take refuge in a bay in Cyprus. There are many legends about Queen Helena’s visit to the island of saints, but the fact remains that she founded several Christian monasteries, to which the queen gave particles of the Life-Giving Cross found in the Holy Land. This is the monastery of Stavrovouni, the monastery of the Holy Cross (Omodos village). And also the monastery of Agia Thekla.

Saints Constantine and Helen are deeply revered in Cyprus. Many temples were built in their honor, including:
● Monastery of Constantine and Helena, XII century. (Kuklia);
● Monastery of the Myrtle Cross, XV century (Tsada);
● Temple of the Holy Cross (Platanistas);
● Church of the Holy Cross (Ayia Irini);
● Church of the Holy Cross (Pelendri).

Holy Queen Helena returned to Constantinople after traveling in Cyprus, where she soon died in 327. For her great services to the Church and her labors in obtaining the Life-Giving Cross, Queen Helena is called “Equal to the Apostles.”

Equal to the Apostles Constantine continued his active work in favor of the Church. At the end of his life, he accepted holy baptism, having prepared for it with his whole life. Saint Constantine died on the day of Pentecost in 337 and was buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles, in a tomb he had prepared in advance.

The opening of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society and the activities of the Society in the Holy Land are associated with the names of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine and his mother Queen Helena.

The Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society was created by the Decree of Emperor Alexander III and the public initiative of outstanding Russian people.

On May 8, 1882, the Society's Charter was approved, and on May 21 (June 3 according to the Gregorian calendar) of the same year, its grand opening took place in St. Petersburg, timed to celebrate the day of remembrance of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen, who spread Christianity and erected the first Christian churches in Holy Land and those who have found the Life-giving Cross of the Lord. The names of these saints are associated with the ancient churches of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, as well as the very principle of patronage of the Holy Land by Orthodox emperors.

The publication was prepared by the chairman of the Cyprus branch of the IOPS Leonid Bulanov

In the great host of holy saints of God, only a few were canonized as saints equal to the apostles. Only special services to the church, which placed them on the same level as the apostles, allowed them to receive this honor. One of those whose earthly service was so highly praised was Saint Helena. For many centuries, the icon with her image was one of the most revered Orthodox shrines.

The innkeeper's young daughter

Who is she, Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Queen Helen, whose icon is found in most Russian churches and attracts crowds of believers? To answer this question, let us open the life of the holy servant of God, compiled a short time after her blessed death, and the few works of ancient historians that have reached us, describing her glorious deeds.

Around 250, in the Asia Minor city of Bethany, the local owner had a daughter who helped him serve visitors. This was the future Saint Helen. The icon of the queen presents us today with the image of a majestic woman, directing her inner gaze to the heavenly world, and in those days she was still a simple girl who did not think about the great mission ahead of her. And, as happened at all times, one day she fell in love.

A happy but suddenly ended marriage

Her chosen one, the young Roman warrior Constantius Chlorus, reciprocated, and soon their union was sealed with marriage. The couple named their firstborn Konstantin. This child - the fruit of their first love - was also subsequently canonized among the Equal-to-the-Apostles, like his mother, Saint Helen. An icon with their image is always taken out of the church altar on September 27th.

Their serene family life came to an end when the reigning Emperor Diocletian in those years, having appointed Chlorus as ruler of vast colonies, demanded that he dissolve his marriage and marry his stepdaughter Theodora. Chlorus could not give up his brilliant career for the sake of the woman he loved, and their union fell apart.

However, evil is punished not only in novels and plays. Very soon the traitor regretted what he had done, since his young wife, together with her numerous relatives, turned his family life into such a nightmare that he had to fight them off with the help of his personal guard.

New Christian

Meanwhile, Elena, abandoned by her husband, settled in the city of Drepanum. The choice was not accidental - her son, who had already matured by that time, lived and studied martial arts there. It so happened, and this clearly shows the Providence of God, that there was a large community of Christians in the city. Followers of the true faith professed it in secret, since in those years it was still prohibited.

Attending their meetings and listening to preachers, Elena eventually comprehended the depth of the teaching that was new to her and was baptized by a local elder. From that time on, she began a long path of spiritual growth, the result of which was the mission, the fulfillment of which allowed her to shine in the ranks of the saints equal to the apostles.

Empress Helena

Years passed, and Constantius Chlorus, Helen's ex-husband, died. At the end of his life, he was the ruler of the Western lands of the Roman Empire, appointed to this post by Diocletian, who once elevated him at the cost of family happiness. After the death of his father, Helen's son Constantine took his place, posing serious competition to the emperor Maximian who ruled in those years. Their political confrontation resulted in an open war, in which Constantine won and became the sole ruler of the Great Roman Empire.

One of his first acts of state was an edict, as a result of which Christianity received legal status. This document ended almost three centuries of Roman persecution of the church. Stav summoned his mother to the capital and elevated her to the rank of Augusta, that is, empress and his co-ruler.

On the path of serving God

However, a wise and devoid of vanity woman, knowing how transitory earthly glory can be, used the opportunities that opened up to her not for personal benefit, but for serving the church. By her order and at her expense, Christian churches were built and new communities were created in the empire, which had not yet awakened from its pagan sleep. But ahead lay the main mission that Saint Helena had to fulfill.

The icon, the meaning of which is expressed by the plot composition itself, presents the viewer with the Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress next to the Cross of the Lord she acquired. It is in this find, which has become the greatest shrine of the entire Orthodox world, that its historical merit lies.

The beginning of a great mission

The life of Saint Helena tells that, having grieved in her heart the desecration that the Romans committed over Jerusalem, capturing it in the year 70 and destroying everything that was connected with the earthly life of Christ, she herself went to Palestine in order, with God’s help, to find that The Life-Giving Tree on which the Savior was crucified.

Empress Helena was already over seventy when, in 326, she boarded a ship and sailed to the shores of the Holy Land. The task she set for herself was unusually difficult. Over the past centuries, Jerusalem did not belong, as before, to the Jews, but was under the control of the pagans. Even on the site where Christ was once crucified, there was a temple of Venus.

Finding the Holy Cross

By the way, this place itself was found with great difficulty, since no one knew where exactly to look for it. Only thanks to the help of an old Jew named Judas, whose ancestors from generation to generation passed on the story of an event three hundred years ago, was it possible to determine it with the necessary accuracy. After the pagan temple was demolished and Bishop Macarius served a prayer service in the vacant place, everyone present suddenly felt an unearthly fragrance emanating from the earth.

When the top layer of soil that had accumulated there over many years was removed, all those present were presented with three crosses that had remained in the same place since that great day, and on one of which the Savior suffered martyrdom. But which of them was the instrument of Christ’s torment remained a mystery. There was also a tablet, the inscription on which was made by Pontius Pilate, and nails.

But the Lord Himself showed them the truth. He managed Bishop Macarius to stop the funeral procession passing by and touch the deceased one by one with all the crosses. When the Cross of the Lord was placed on the deceased, he unexpectedly rose again. Thus, the Christian Church found its greatest shrine, thanks to the efforts that the holy Queen Helen put into it. The icon usually depicts her standing next to the find.

The beginning of veneration of the saint

It should be noted that during the entire canonization, only five women were honored as saints, among whom Saint Helen rightfully took her place. Her icon was painted immediately after her death. At the same time, widespread veneration began in the East, reaching Western Europe only at the beginning of the 9th century. In our country, the saint’s memory is celebrated twice a year - on March 19 and June 3 - and has deep roots. It is known that the grandmother of the baptizer of Rus', Prince Vladimir, the first Russian Christian, Princess Olga, received the name Helen in holy baptism precisely in honor of the Equal-to-the-Apostles mother of Emperor Constantine the Great.

Iconography of Saint Helena

It will not be an exaggeration to say that among other saints of God, the Orthodox Church especially distinguishes Saint Helena Equal-to-the-Apostles in terms of the significance of the act she performed. Her icon is well known to all believers. She often appears there with her son, Emperor Constantine, just like her mother, who was elevated to the rank of Equal-to-the-Apostles for establishing Christianity as the official state religion. However, more often there are images in which only Saint Helen is represented.

The icon, the meaning of which becomes clearer the more thoughtfully we relate the plot to the life of the pious empress, usually depicts her against the backdrop of Jerusalem, standing near the monumental Cross of the Lord and turning her gaze to Heaven. She is dressed in the attire adopted by Byzantine empresses, with a crown or crown on her head. Sometimes a precious cloth is depicted under the crown. This is the most common plot. The icon of St. Helena, the photo of which opens the article, belongs specifically to this group.

However, the earliest ones depict the saint holding in her raised hands a medallion with a cross inscribed on it. In this case, she is also depicted either alone or with her son Constantine. An example of this is the mosaic in Constantinople's Hagia Sophia.

Russian version of the icon

In Russian iconography there is a completely original icon “St. Helena”. The meaning helps to understand the event that occurred in 1665 in Moscow. Then a cross with particles of the Life-Giving Tree of the Lord, specially made by order of Emperor Alexei Mikhailovich, was delivered from Palestine. It was intended for a monastery located on Kiy Island in the White Sea, and its arrival became a significant event in church life. The icon was painted in memory of him.

It depicted a Cross, on the sides of which were placed the figures of the saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Helen and Constantine, as well as Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna and a kneeler. Subsequently, when he fell into disgrace and was displaced, his image was removed from the composition of the icon, and subsequent lists from it contain only four figures. Among the images painted in a later period, the image of St. Helena, holding in her hand a small cross, symbolizing her legendary discovery at the site of Christ's crucifixion, predominates.

Icon of Saint Helena. How does an image help?

In Russian Orthodoxy, there has been a tradition of turning to Equal-to-the-Apostles Queen Helen with a variety of requests. But most often, in front of her holy image, they pray for healing from illnesses and bestowing health on themselves and their loved ones. They also resort to her help in case of financial difficulties. If a prayer is said with faith and trust in the mercy of God, then it is heard and what is asked is fulfilled.

The icon of St. Helena has one unique feature. If the queen is depicted together with her son and successor Emperor Constantine, then it is recommended that people engaged in political activities and in need of support turn to her. Such a prayer can be relevant on the eve of elections and instill hope even in those candidates who have nothing else to count on.

Nowadays, among the images of the most revered saints of God among the people, there is also an icon of St. Helena. In Moscow, her wonderful image can be seen in the church belonging to the parish of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helena in Mitino. She is depicted holding, together with her son, the holy cross that she had acquired and given to the entire Christian church. In addition, her image can be found in almost any Orthodox church in Russia and you can offer your prayer in front of it.

Where do we usually get information about the lives of saints? Of course, from information sources of a church and theological nature. These can be Orthodox magazines, newspapers, books, specific websites and educational resources on the Internet, as well as Christian films and programs. However, if the ascetic was both a statesman and/or a commander who glorified the country, the main milestones of his earthly existence and personality characteristics are certainly contained in historical materials. This applies, for example, to Prince Vladimir, who baptized Rus', Princess Olga, and Prince Dimitri Donskoy. The host of saints also included the rulers of Rome: Tsar Constantine and his mother, Queen Helena. The day of remembrance of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helena was established by the church on June 3.

Information about Konstantin

Saint Constantine was born in the 3rd century AD, more specifically in the year 274. The chosen one of God had a noble origin, since he was born into the family of Constantius Chlorus, co-ruler of the Roman Empire, and his wife, Queen Helena. The father of the future saint owned two regions of great power: Gaul and Britain. Officially, this family was considered pagan, but in fact, the only son of Caesar Constantius Chlorus and Helena grew up as a true Christian, raised by his parents in an atmosphere of kindness and love for God. Unlike the other co-rulers of the Roman Empire, Diocletian, Maximian Herculus and Maximian Galerius, the father of Saint Constantine did not persecute Christians in the fiefs entrusted to him.

The future ruler of Rome was distinguished by numerous virtues, among which his calm disposition and modesty stood out. Outwardly, Saint Constantine also endeared himself to those around him, since he was tall, physically developed, strong and handsome. This is evidenced by the description of the emperor’s appearance found in historical sources and compiled on the basis of archaeological data. The amazing combination of outstanding spiritual, personal and physical qualities of God's chosen one became during the reign of Saint Rome the subject of black envy and anger of the courtiers. For this reason, Caesar Galeria became Constantine’s sworn enemy.

The years of the saint's youth were not spent in his father's house. The youth was taken hostage and kept at the court of the tyrant Diocletian in Nicomedia. He was treated well, but was largely deprived of contact with the saint's family. Thus, the co-ruler Constantius Chlorus wanted to ensure the loyalty of Father Constantine.

Information about Elena

What is known about the personality of the ruler Helen? Enough to get a complete picture of this woman. Saint Helena did not belong to a noble family, like her husband: the chosen one of God was born into the family of an inn owner. The future queen got married contrary to the canons of that time, not by calculation or by conspiracy, but by mutual love. With her husband, Caesar Constantius Chlorus, Elena lived in a happy marriage for 18 years. And then the union collapsed overnight: the queen’s husband received an appointment from Emperor Diocletian to become the ruler of three regions at once: Gaul, Britain and Spain. At the same time, the tyrant put forward a demand to Constantius Chlorus for a divorce from Helen and for the co-ruler to marry his stepdaughter Theodora. Then Constantine, by the will of Emperor Diocletian, went to Nicomedia.

Queen Helena at that time was a little over forty years old. Finding herself in such a difficult situation, the still young woman focused all her love on her son - historians are sure that she never saw her husband again. Saint Helena found shelter not far from the area where Constantine was. There they were able to sometimes see each other and communicate. The queen became acquainted with Christianity in Drepanum, which was later renamed Helenopolis in honor of the mother of Constantine the Great (this is what the virtuous Roman ruler was later called). The woman was baptized in a local church. Over the next thirty years, Elena lived in constant prayer, cultivating virtues in herself, purifying her own soul from previous sins. The result of the work done was the acquisition of the saint by the honorary religious title “Equal to the Apostles.”

State activities of Constantine

In 306, Constantius Chlorus, father of Constantine the Great, died. Immediately after this mournful event, the army proclaimed the latter emperor of Gaul and Britain instead of the former ruler. The young man was 32 years old at that time - the prime of his youth. Constantine took the reins of government of these regions into his own hands and declared freedom of religion in the lands entrusted to him.

5 years later. In 311, the western part of the empire came under the control of Maxentius, who was distinguished by his cruelty and quickly became known as a tyrant because of this. The new emperor decided to eliminate Saint Constantine so as not to have a competitor. To this end, the son of Queen Helena decided to organize a military campaign, the goal of which he saw in ridding Rome of the misfortune in the person of the tyrant Maxentius. No sooner said than done. However, Constantine and his army had to face insurmountable difficulties: the enemy outnumbered them, and the cruel tyrant resorted to the help of black magic in order to defeat the defender of Christians at any cost. The son of Helen and Constantius Chlorus, despite his youth, was a very wise man. He quickly assessed the current situation and came to the conclusion that he could only wait for support from God. Constantine began to sincerely and fervently pray to the Creator for help. The Lord heard him and showed a miraculous sign in the form of a cross of light near the sun with the inscription “hereby conquer.” This happened before an important battle with the enemy; the emperor’s soldiers also witnessed the miracle. And at night the king saw Jesus himself with a banner on which the cross was again depicted. Christ explained to Constantine that only with the help of the cross could he defeat the tyrant Maxentius, and gave advice to acquire the same exact banner. Having obeyed God himself, Constantine defeated his enemy and took possession of half of the Roman Empire.

The great ruler of a great power did everything for the benefit of Christians. He accepted the latter under his special protection, although he never oppressed peoples professing other religions. The only people Constantine was intolerant of were pagans. The saint even had to enter into battle with the ruler of the eastern part of Rome, Licinius, who went to war against the son of Queen Helena. But everything ended well: with God’s help, Constantine the Great defeated the enemy army and became the sole emperor of the state. Of course, he immediately declared Christianity the main religion of the empire.

Saints Constantine and Helena did a lot to spread and strengthen Christianity. In particular, the queen found the Cross of Christ in Jerusalem, buried in the ground by opponents of the true faith in God. She brought part of the shrine to Rome to her son. Helen died in 327. Her relics are located in the Italian capital. Constantine died ten years later, leaving his three sons to reign in Rome.

The Holy Emperor Constantine (306-337), who received the title Equal to the Apostles from the Church, and was called the Great in world history, was the son of Caesar Constantius Chlorus (305-306), who ruled the countries of Gaul and Britain. The huge Roman Empire was at that time divided into Western and Eastern, headed by two independent emperors who had co-rulers, one of whom in the Western half was the father of Emperor Constantine. Holy Queen Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine, was a Christian. The future ruler of the entire Roman Empire - Constantine - was brought up with respect for the Christian religion. His father did not persecute Christians in the countries he ruled, while throughout the rest of the Roman Empire Christians were subjected to severe persecution by the emperors Diocletian (284-305), his co-ruler Maximian Galerius (305-311) in the East and the emperor Maximian Herculus (284-305) - in the West. After the death of Constantius Chlorus, his son Constantine in 306 was proclaimed emperor of Gaul and Britain by the troops. The first task of the new emperor was to proclaim freedom of professing the Christian faith in the countries under his control. The pagan fanatic Maximian Galerius in the East and the cruel tyrant Maxentius in the West hated Emperor Constantine and plotted to depose and kill him, but Constantine warned them and, with the help of God, defeated all his opponents in a series of wars. He prayed to God to give him a sign that would inspire his army to fight bravely, and the Lord showed him in the sky the shining sign of the Cross with the inscription “By this way conquer.” Having become the sovereign ruler of the Western part of the Roman Empire, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan on religious tolerance in 313, and in 323, when he reigned as the sole emperor over the entire Roman Empire, he extended the Edict of Milan to the entire eastern part of the empire. After three hundred years of persecution, Christians for the first time had the opportunity to openly confess their faith in Christ.

Having abandoned paganism, the emperor did not leave ancient Rome, which was the center of the pagan state, as the capital of the empire, but moved his capital to the east, to the city of Byzantium, which was renamed Constantinople. Constantine was deeply convinced that only the Christian religion could unite the huge, heterogeneous Roman Empire. He supported the Church in every possible way, brought back Christian confessors from exile, built churches, and took care of the clergy. Deeply revering the Cross of the Lord, the emperor wanted to find the very Life-giving Cross on which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. For this purpose, he sent his mother, the holy queen Helen, to Jerusalem, giving her great powers and material resources. Together with Patriarch Macarius of Jerusalem, Saint Helena began a search, and by the Providence of God the Life-Giving Cross was miraculously found in 326. While in Palestine, the holy queen did a lot for the benefit of the Church. She ordered to free all places associated with the earthly life of the Lord and His Most Pure Mother from all traces of paganism, and ordered the erection of Christian churches in these memorable places. Above the Cave of the Holy Sepulcher, Emperor Constantine himself ordered the construction of a magnificent temple in honor of the Resurrection of Christ. Saint Helena gave the Life-Giving Cross for safekeeping to the Patriarch, and took part of the Cross with her to present to the Emperor. Having distributed generous alms in Jerusalem and arranged meals for the poor, during which she herself served, Holy Queen Helena returned to Constantinople, where she soon died in 327.

For her great services to the Church and her labors in obtaining the Life-Giving Cross, Queen Helena is called Equal to the Apostles.

The peaceful existence of the Christian Church was disrupted by the unrest and discord that arose within the Church due to the emergence of heresies. Even at the beginning of the activity of Emperor Constantine, the heresy of the Donatists and Novatians arose in the West, demanding the repetition of baptism over Christians who had fallen away during persecution. This heresy, rejected by two local councils, was finally condemned by the Council of Milan in 316. But especially destructive for the Church was the heresy of Arius, which arose in the East, which dared to reject the Divine essence of the Son of God and teach about the creatureliness of Jesus Christ. By order of the emperor, the First Ecumenical Council was convened in the city of Nicaea in 325. 318 bishops gathered for this Council, its participants were bishops-confessors during the period of persecution and many other luminaries of the Church, among whom was St. Nicholas of Myra. The Emperor attended the meetings of the Council. The heresy of Arius was condemned and the Creed was drawn up, in which the term “Consubstantial with the Father” was introduced, forever cementing in the minds of Orthodox Christians the truth about the Divinity of Jesus Christ, who assumed human nature for the redemption of the entire human race.

One can be amazed at the deep church consciousness and feeling of Saint Constantine, who singled out the definition of “Consubstantial”, which he heard in the debates of the Council, and proposed to include this definition in the Creed.

After the Council of Nicea, Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine continued his active work in favor of the Church. At the end of his life, he accepted holy baptism, having prepared for it with his whole life. Saint Constantine died on the day of Pentecost in 337 and was buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles, in a tomb he had prepared in advance.