Saints Constantine & Helen

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Saints Constantine and Helen Royal

The Story Behind This Icon:

Saint Constantine was the son of Roman Emperor Constantius Chlorus and his wife Helen. Constantius was a pagan, but Helen was a devout Christian, a strong influence on Constantine all his life. At 34 years old, Constantine's father died, passing to Constantine his titles and command of his legions and provinces. As one of the four tetrarchs of the Roman Empire, Constantine was immediately thrown into a chaotic civil war.

As the war progressed, Constantine found himself in Italy, preparing for battle outside Rome. Prior to the battle, where it was apparent to Constantine that his forces were outnumber, he saw a "Chi Rho" in the sky with the words "By this shalt thou conquer". The "Chi Rho" refers to the Greek letters "X" and "P" which are the first two letters of the name of "Christ" in Greek, stylized together. During his sleep that night, Christ appeared to him and explained the significance and power of the symbol. The next day, Constantine commanded the Chi Rho be inscribed onto the shield of each of his soldiers and carried banners into battle proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ inscribed the Cross into every soldier's shield and made a banner proclaiming the name of God. In the name of Jesus Christ, Constantine was victorious in what later became known as the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. He would go on to claim victory in the civil war, and those that followed, consolidating power of the entire Empire.

As Emperor, Constantine commanded an end to all persecution against Christians in the Roman Empire. He further established a "New Rome" - a new capital city - for the Empire, closer to the wealthy East and the frontier bordered by the Danube on the ancient site of Byzantium. It later became known as Constantinople, meaning "City of Constantine." Constantinople would be known as the center of the world for over a thousand years, a beacon of light and civilization as the western half of the Roman empire crumbled a century and a half later. Constantine eventually made Christianity the official faith of the Empire, establishing the Church as a powerful institution and calling the First Ecumenical Council to rid the Faith of the despicable Arian heresy. For these reasons, he is called "Equal to the Apostles".

Constantine's mother, Saint Helen, was a devout Christian and a proponent for the expansion of the Faith; She made a journey to Jerusalem in the year 326 in order to find the Holy Cross itself, which was hidden and covered in stones. With prayers, they uncovered three crosses, one belonging to Jesus and the others belonging to the thieves that died alongside Him. In order to identify which of the three crosses belonged to Jesus, Macarios, Bishop of Jerusalem, touched with each of the three crosses a woman that was seriously ill and who immediately healed after the touch of the third Cross.

The feast day of Saints Constantine & Helen is celebrated on May 21.

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