Equal to the Apostles Tsar Constantine and his mother Tsarina Helena. Saints Equal to the Apostles Constantine and Helen
June 3 is the day of remembrance of the saints Tsar Constantine and his mother Queen Helena. In the Orthodox Church, the great mother and son are glorified as equal to the apostles - their feat of preaching the Gospel and converting peoples to the faith is so significant. Constantine was born in the Serbian city of Nis, in 272. Elena - in Drepan ( Asia Minor), later renamed Elenopolis in her honor. The year of birth of Elena herself is not precisely established...
Ambrose of Milan wrote that Helen was the daughter of an innkeeper and met the future emperor Constantius Chlorus, Constantine's father, when he, still a young officer, was riding horses, and she served him wine.
When Constantine was 21, his father divorced Helena in order to marry the daughter of Emperor Maximian and strengthen his position at court. He became Caesar of the province of Gallia Belgica. In 306, after his death, Constantine was proclaimed emperor of this province.
In 312, Constantine entered into a power struggle with the usurper Maxentius. On the eve of the decisive battle, he had a dream: he needed to draw an image christian cross on the banners, and then he will win (“and thus win”). And so it happened. Constantine became emperor of the western part of the Roman Empire. He succeeded in completely unifying the lands in 321.
In 313 in Milan, at the wedding of his sister, Constantine, who believed in Christ, announced an edict that legalized Christianity on the territory of the Roman Empire. Emperor Diocletian, an ardent persecutor of Christians, was also invited to the feast as an honorary guest. However, he did not come.
Elena, while in Trier, gave part of her house to the Christian community of the city so that a church could be built there. It became one of the oldest official churches, along with the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Constantine gave his mother the title of empress. The first coins found with her image date back to 318.
Saint Helena became a Christian at the age of 60. In 326, she made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where she undertook archaeological research, discovering the Cross of the Lord, nails and a tablet with the inscription “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” At the time of this trip she was about 80 years old.
In 325, Constantine convened the First Ecumenical Council, where the Creed of Christians was formulated. At this council, the emperor personally greeted the confessors of the faith who suffered during the years of persecution, kissing their wounds. In 320, he moved the capital of the Roman Empire to a new city - Constantinople, which later became the center of the Eastern Empire - Byzantium.
Constantine dreamed all his life of being baptized in the Jordan, but was baptized shortly before his death at his residence near Constantinople. He died in 337. Exact date Elena's death is unknown
We thank Timofey Katnis for his help in preparing the material
Drawings by Elena Popovskaya
Tradition has preserved for us information that the holy Empress Helen was not of noble birth. Her father was the owner of a hotel. She married the famous Roman warrior Constantius Chlorus. It was a marriage not of political convenience, but of love, and in 274 the Lord blessed their union with the birth of their son Constantine.
They lived happily together for eighteen years, until Constantius was appointed ruler of Gaul, Britain and Spain. In connection with this appointment, Emperor Diocletian demanded that Constantius divorce Helen and marry his (the emperor's) stepdaughter Theodora. In addition, the emperor took the eighteen-year-old Constantine to his capital at Nicomedia under the pretext of teaching him the art of war. In fact, the family was well aware that he was virtually a hostage to his father's loyalty to the emperor.
At the time when these events occurred, Elena was just over forty years old. She was torn away from her husband for political gain, and, obviously, the couple have never seen each other since then. She moved as close to her son as possible, to the town of Drepanum, not far from Nicomedia, where her son could visit her. Drepanum was later renamed Elenopolis in her honor, and it was here that she was introduced to Christianity. She was baptized in a local church and for the next thirty years she spent the next thirty years purifying and improving her own soul, which served as preparation for the fulfillment of a special mission, a work for which she was called “equal to the apostles.”
Soon after her conversion, Constantine, who often visited her, met a Christian girl named Minervina at her house. After some time, the young people got married. Two years later, the young wife died of a fever, and Konstantin gave them away little son, named Crispus, into the care of his mother.
Fourteen years have passed. Constantine's father, a military leader dearly loved by his soldiers, died. Constantine, who showed considerable military valor, achieved the rank of tribune, and, thanks to universal respect in the army, he was elected as his father's successor. He became Caesar of the western lands. Emperor Maximian, seeing a future rival in Constantine, decided to “insure himself”: he married his daughter Fausta to the young military leader, reinforcing his loyalty with ties of kinship. However, it was an unhappy union, and in the next few decades Constantine had to devote more energy and time to fighting his wife's relatives than to the enemies of Rome. In 312, on the eve of the battle against the troops of his brother-in-law Maxentius, Constantine stood with his army at the walls of the capital. That night a fiery cross appeared in the sky, and Constantine heard the words spoken by the Savior Himself, who commanded him to go into battle with banners with the image of the Holy Cross and the inscription “By this victory.” Maxentius, instead of defending himself inside the city walls, went out to fight Constantine and was defeated.
The following year (315), Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, according to which Christianity received legal status, thereby putting an end to Roman persecutions that had lasted (with interruptions) for several centuries. Ten years later, Constantine became the sole Emperor of the eastern and western parts of the Empire, and in 323 he elevated his mother, declaring her Empress. For Elena, who by that time had managed to understand how transitory the joys and bitterness of earthly glory are, the Imperial power itself was of little attraction. However, she quickly realized that her new position gave her the opportunity to participate in the spread of the Christian gospel, especially by building churches and chapels in the Holy Land, in those places where the Lord lived and taught.
Since the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD, this land no longer belonged to the Jewish people. The temple was razed to the ground, and the Roman city of Aelia was built on the ruins of Jerusalem. The Temple of Venus was erected over Golgotha and the Holy Sepulcher. Elena's heart burned with the desire to cleanse the holy places from pagan defilement and rededicate them to the Lord. She was already more than seventy years old when she set off on a ship from the coast of Asia Minor to Palestine. When the ship sailed past the islands of Greece, she went ashore on the island of Paros and began to pray to the Lord, asking him to help her find His Cross and promising to build a temple here if her request was fulfilled. Her prayer was answered and she fulfilled her vow. Nowadays, the Ekatontapiliani Church, inside of which stands the temple built then by St. Helena, is the oldest Christian temple in Greece.
Arriving in the Holy Land, she ordered the temple of Venus to be demolished and the rubble taken outside the city walls, but she did not know where her servants should dig to find the Cross in the huge piles of earth, stones and rubbish. She fervently prayed for admonition, and the Lord came to her aid.
This is how her life tells about it:
The discovery of the Holy Cross of the Lord took place in the year 326 from the Nativity of Christ as follows: when the rubble remaining from the buildings that stood here was cleared away at Golgotha, Bishop Macarius performed a prayer service at this place. The people digging the ground felt a fragrance emanating from the ground. This is how the Cave of the Holy Sepulcher was found. The true Cross of the Lord was found with the help of a Jew named Judas, who retained in his memory the ancient legend about its location. He himself, after finding the great shrine, was baptized with the name Kyriakos and subsequently became the Patriarch of Jerusalem. He suffered a martyr's death under Julian the Apostate; The church celebrates his memory on October 28.
Following the instructions of Judas, Elena found, east of the Cave of the Holy Sepulcher, three crosses with inscriptions and nails lying separately. But how was it possible to know which of these three crosses was the True Cross of the Lord? Bishop Macarius stopped the funeral procession passing by and ordered to touch the deceased one by one with all three crosses. When the Cross of Christ was placed on the body, this man was resurrected. The Empress was the first to bow to the ground before the shrine and venerate it. People crowded around, people tried to squeeze forward to see the Cross. Then Macarius, trying to satisfy their desire, raised the Cross high, and everyone exclaimed: “Lord, have mercy.” So on September 14, 326, the first “Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord” took place, and to this day this holiday is one of the Twelve (greatest) Holidays of the Orthodox Church.1
Helena took a piece of the Cross to Byzantium as a gift to her son. However, most of it, encased in silver, remained in the temple she built at the site of its acquisition. Every year in Good Friday he was brought out for worship. Not most of The Holy Cross is still located in Jerusalem. Over the centuries, small particles of it were sent to temples and monasteries throughout the Christian world, where they are carefully and reverently kept as priceless treasures.
Saint Helena lived in Jerusalem for two years, leading the restoration of the holy places. She developed plans for the construction of magnificent churches in places associated with the life of the Savior. However modern temple The Holy Sepulcher is not the same church that was built under St. Helena.2 This large building was built in the Middle Ages, and there are many small churches inside it. Including the Holy Sepulcher and Golgotha. Under the floor, on the back side of Calvary Hill, stands a church in honor of St. Helena with stone slab at the place where the Cross was found.
The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is the same one that was erected by the Empress. There are other churches in the creation of which she was directly involved, for example, the small Church of the Ascension of the Lord on the Mount of Olives (now owned by Muslims), the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary near Gethsemane, the church in memory of the appearance of three angels to Abraham at the Oak of Mamre, the temple on Mount Sinai and the monastery of Stavrovouni near the city of Larnaca in Cyprus.
In addition to the fact that Saint Helena invested enormous energy and strength in the revival of the holy places of Palestine, she, as the Life narrates, remembering her own years of life in humiliation and oblivion on the part of the rich and powerful of the world This, she regularly organized large dinners for the poor of Jerusalem and its environs. At the same time, she herself put on a simple work dress and helped serve the dishes.
When she finally returned home, bitter, sorrowful news awaited her there. Her beloved grandson Crispus, who had become a valiant warrior and had already proven himself in the military field, died, and, as some believed, not without the participation of his stepmother Fausta, who did not want this young military leader, popular among the people, to be an obstacle on the way to the Imperial throne her own three sons.
Her work in the Holy Land tired her, and grief fell like a heavy burden on her shoulders. After the news of the death of Crispus, she lived only a year and died in 327. Now her relics (most of them) rest in Rome, where they were transported by the crusaders, and in many places in the Christian world particles of her relics are kept. Emperor Constantine outlived his mother by ten years.
The Church celebrates the memory of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and his mother Queen Helena on May 21, old style.
What happened to the Life-giving Cross of the Lord after it was found?
After Saint Helena found the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord in 326, she sent part of it to Constantinople, took the second part to Rome in the same year, and left another part in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. There it (this third part) remained for about three centuries, until 614, when the Persians, under the leadership of their king Chosroes, crossed the Jordan and captured Palestine. They brutalized Christians, destroyed churches, and killed priests, monks and nuns. They took away from Jerusalem the sacred vessels and the main treasure - the Cross of the Lord. Patriarch Zechariah of Jerusalem and many people were taken captive. Khosroes superstitiously believed that by taking possession of the Cross, he would somehow gain the strength and power of the Son of God, and he solemnly placed the Cross near his throne, on his right hand. The Byzantine Emperor Heraclius (610-641) offered him peace many times, but Chosroes demanded that he first renounce Christ and worship the sun. This war has become religious. Finally, after several successful battles, Heraclius defeated Chosroes in 627, who was soon overthrown from the throne and killed by his own son Syroes. In February 628, Siroi made peace with the Romans, freed the Patriarch and other captives, and returned the Life-Giving Cross to the Christians.
The cross was first delivered to Constantinople, and there, in the Church of Hagia Sophia, on September 14 (September 27 in the new style) the celebration of its second erection took place. (The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was established in memory of both the first and second celebrations.) In the spring of 629, Emperor Heraclius took him to Jerusalem and personally installed him in his former place of honor as a sign of gratitude to God for the victory given to him. As he approached the city, holding the Cross in his hands, the Emperor suddenly stopped and could not move further. Patriarch Zacharias, who accompanied him, suggested that his magnificent robe and royal position did not match the appearance of the Lord Himself, humbly carrying His Cross. The emperor immediately changed his magnificent outfit to rags and entered the city barefoot. The Precious Cross was still enclosed in the silver casket. Representatives of the clergy checked the safety of the seals and, opening the casket, showed the Cross to the people. From that time on, Christians began to celebrate the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross with even greater reverence. (On this day, the Orthodox Church also remembers the miracle of the appearance of the Holy Cross in the sky as a sign of the impending victory of Emperor Constantine over the troops of Maxentius.) In 635, Heraclius, retreating under the onslaught of the Muslim army and foreseeing the imminent capture of Jerusalem, took the Cross with him to Constantinople. To avoid its complete loss in the future, the Cross was divided into nineteen parts and distributed Christian Churches- Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Rome, Edessa, Cyprus, Georgian, Crete, Ascalon and Damascus. Now particles of the Holy Cross are kept in many monasteries and churches around the world.
The history of Christianity knows many people who dedicated their lives to the Lord and performed many holy deeds. One of them is Helen Equal to the Apostles, Queen of Constantinople, the mother of Emperor Constantine, a man who would play a decisive role in the fate of the young Christian religion.
Elena became famous for other exploits. Her extensive activities and great accomplishments made the queen revered on a par with the apostles.
Life
The birthplace of the future empress was the port city of Drepan, located in the Roman province of Bithynia. Fate did not gift the girl with a noble origin - her father was the owner of an inn. Elena grew up in Drepan, working in her father's hotel.
Her fate changed thanks to chance. One day a famous Roman military leader passed by the hotel. He noticed a pretty girl working there. Her beauty and nobility of soul made an indelible impression on the military leader. He decided to take Elena as his wife. The military leader turned out to be Constantius Chlorus, the future Emperor of Rome. Elena agreed to marry him.
From that time on, she found herself embroiled in a stormy political life Roman Empire. Despite the turbulent times, Elena lived a happily married life and gave birth to a son, who was named Konstantin. Some time after the birth of her son, circumstances forced Elena to leave the royal palace.
Emperor Diocletian divided the empire into four parts, inviting Constantius to rule one of them. To strengthen family ties with the Roman nobility, Constantius married a representative royal family– Theodora, stepdaughter of Emperor Maximin, who retired from governing the empire. Elena found herself removed from the court for fifteen years.
Constantius Chlorus died in 306. Constantine, the son of Helen, was proclaimed the new emperor. Constantine brought his mother back from exile. Once again at court, Elena acquired great favor among the Roman people.
Konstantin deeply respected Elena as a mother and as a virtuous woman. Helen was awarded such honors that she was called Augusta and Basilisa - titles of Roman emperors. The image of Helen was minted on gold coins. Konstantin trusted his mother to manage the treasury at her own request.
Queen Helen's Finding of the Cross
In her declining years, Elena set out to make a pilgrimage to Palestine, to the place of Christ’s life. Even in old age, possessing a sharp mind and the speed of a young body, Elena headed east. In Palestine she had to accomplish a great deed - to find the Cross on which Christ was crucified.
The legend about Helen's acquisition of the Holy Cross has reached us in two versions. The first of them says that the Cross was found under the temple of Aphrodite. When it was destroyed, under its rubble they found three different crosses, a sign taken down of the Cross of the Savior and nails. How to determine which of the three crosses is genuine was invented by Macarius, Bishop of Jerusalem. He decided to apply each cross to a sick woman. God revealed the true Cross when a woman regained health by touching it. Those who were present at this event gave praise to the Lord, and Bishop Macarius raised the Cross, showing it to everyone.
According to the second version, Elena turned to the Jerusalem Jews for help. The old Jew, whose name was Judas, pointed to the sanctuary of Venus. Elena ordered the destruction of the temple. During excavations, three crosses were discovered. The Holy Cross was found through a miracle: a dead man was carried nearby, and when the Holy Cross was brought to his flesh, the dead man came to life. Judas converted to Christianity and became a bishop.
During the journey, Elena never ceased to show best qualities of your nature. Driving past the cities, the empress showered gifts on the local population. Elena did not refuse anyone who turned to her for help. Elena also did not forget about the churches, which she decorated with rich jewelry.
She visited temples even in the smallest cities. Elena appeared in modest clothes, mingling with the crowd. In addition, she is credited with the construction large number churches in the holy land. Elena also built many hospitals.
Returning from a pilgrimage, Elena made a stop in Cyprus. Seeing how the local population suffered from snakes, she ordered cats to be brought to Cyprus.
Elena founded the Stavrovoun monastery here.
Saint Helena Equal to the Apostles, what helps
After her death, Elena became a revered Christian saint, patroness and helper in earthly affairs. Anyone who wants to achieve material prosperity can turn to Saint Helena Equal to the Apostles for assistance.
Saint Helen also helps those who decide to start an important business to achieve career growth or success in the political field. In addition, the cult of Saint Helena has great importance for peasants.
It is no coincidence that Helen's Day falls on June 3 - the time when the planting of grain ends. Prayers are offered to Saint Helena for the protection of crops and increased yields.
The meaning of the icon of St. Helena
Icons depicting Helena appeared in Byzantine Empire. Icon painters tried to convey both her high status during her lifetime and the special disposition of the Lord towards Helen.
Sometimes she was depicted next to Emperor Constantine - her son and assistants in good deeds. This emphasized the extraordinary harmony that reigned in the saint’s family. On the icons, Constantine is on the left side, Elena is on the right. They are wearing crowns. Next to them is a cross. Sometimes the queen holds nails.
If Helen is depicted alone, then Jerusalem is behind her. She stands next to the Cross of the Savior, looking into the sky. Helena is dressed as a Byzantine empress.
On modern icons the queen is depicted alone with a cross in right hand. It symbolizes the suffering and great accomplishments of Helen. Left hand points to the cross, or is open. By this, the icon painters show that for each person the Lord has prepared a specific task that he must complete.
Prayer to Saint Helen Equal to the Apostles
They pray to Saint Helena Equal to the Apostles when they need to make the right decision. They also ask Elena for help in gaining and strengthening faith, well-being in the family and at work, and in curing illnesses. The prayer can be said at home, near an icon or in a temple.
It is preferable to pray in a church in which there is an icon of St. Helena, or a particle of her relics. In the Christian tradition there is no clear formula for turning to Saint Helena. However, the text of the prayer can be found in special collections.
Among the vast pantheon of Christian saints, one of the most revered are Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen. Their role in the spread true faith invaluable. That is why they were awarded such a great honor to be placed on a par with the apostles - the closest disciples and followers of Christ.
The maid who gave birth to the emperor
Queen Helena's full name is Flavia Julia Helena Augusta. It is known that she was born in the middle of the 3rd century in the city of Drepan, in Asia Minor, but the exact date of her birth has not been established. The childhood of the future queen passed very modestly - she served at a horse station that belonged to her father. There, among other travelers, she met her future husband Constantius Chlorus, who later became
The fruit of their love was a son, who was born on February 27, 272 and received a rather lengthy name at birth - Flavius Valery Aurelius Constantine. IN world history this child entered as the Great One, whose command Christianity became official religion Roman state.
The imperial crown that brought religious freedom to Rome
When my son was barely fifteen years old, family life Elena was upset. Constantius turned out to be a rather flighty husband and separated from her, giving preference to the young stepdaughter of the then reigning Emperor Maximian. However, as often happens, being bad husband, he turned out to be good father and, having ascended the Roman throne, secured the future of his son, making him ruler of a large part of the country. The city of Trevir (the modern German city of Trier) became his residence, and Elena Equal to the Apostles moved to live closer to her son.
In 306 happened an important event- the emperor died, and Constantine became his successor, proclaimed by the Roman army of many thousands. It is known that one of his first acts was to establish freedom of religion in Rome and the countries under his control and to end all persecution on religious grounds. Thanks to this, after three centuries of persecution, Christianity finally emerged from the catacombs.
Elena's Finest Hour
Historical materials indicate that Elena Equal to the Apostles throughout her life had great respect for those who, despite mortal danger, confessed Christ, but she herself was baptized when she was already over sixty. By this time, she was proclaimed “Augusta,” that is, the reigning person, and settled in a vast Roman estate located next to the Lateran Palace, which later became the residence of the popes.
Already at the end of her days, Saint Helena Equal to the Apostles accomplished the main work of her life - a pilgrimage where she undertook excavations directly on Golgotha itself. Her goal was, if possible, to find material evidence of the events that took place there three centuries ago.
The answer to the question of what prompted a woman at such a venerable age to go in search of the Holy Cross and other shrines is told Sacred Tradition. It tells how in a night vision Saint Helen heard a voice commanding her to go to Jerusalem, and there, having cleared the site of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ from the earth, to reveal to the world the priceless treasures found there. On the morning of the next day, Saints Constantine and Helen prayed for a long time that the Lord would send down His Grace to fulfill such an important mission.
Not an easy task
As the legend tells, great difficulties awaited the pious queen in the capital of ancient Judea. The fact is that for such a long time, the place of the execution and subsequent resurrection of Christ was hidden under a thick layer of earth and garbage, deliberately brought there by the wicked, and it was impossible to find it. Finally, after much questioning of the local residents, we managed to find out the exact location of Golgotha from one old Jew. After this, Saint Helena Equal to the Apostles ordered excavations to begin.
When the upper layers of the earth were removed and the top of the mountain was exposed, not one cross, but three appeared before the eyes of those present, because on the day of execution, as is known, two robbers were crucified along with Christ. The difficult task lay ahead - to determine which of them Jesus suffered.
Checking the shrine for truth
What followed next was another confirmation of the wisdom that Queen Helen possessed. When everyone was awaiting her decision in complete bewilderment, a funeral procession approached the excavation site, in front of which they carried the coffin with the body of a deceased woman. Knowing that only one of the three crosses has Divine power, Elena asked the deceased’s relatives to stop and ordered the servants to touch the dead body in turn with each of the three crosses. As soon as the turn came to the one that was a true shrine, and the hand of the deceased was laid on it, it immediately resurrected, which caused general joy and rejoicing.
Finding of the Holy Sepulcher
In addition to the life-giving Cross of the Lord, Saint Helena Equal to the Apostles, as tradition testifies, found four nails with which the body of the Savior was nailed and that very tablet - the title on which she personally inscribed “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” She also discovered a cave in which the body of Jesus taken from the cross was placed. It is thanks to the works of Saint Helena that Christians around the world can today observe with their own eyes how the light of the Holy Fire that descended on the occasion of Easter appears in the window of the edicule erected over the Holy Sepulcher.
In memory of this greatest event a holiday was established, called “The Exaltation of the Honest and Life-giving Cross The Lord's." Every year on September 27, the Orthodox Church celebrates the anniversary of the day when, in 326, Queen Helena Equal to the Apostles revealed the greatest shrines of Christianity to the world.
Completion of a great mission
Having found the Life-Giving Cross, the Empress ordered it to be divided into two equal parts, one of which, placed in a silver shrine, she left in Jerusalem to the local bishop Macarius I, who provided her with significant assistance during the excavations. She sent the other part of the Cross, and with it the nails, to her son in Rome. There, this fragment of the Cross was mounted in a sculpture of Emperor Constantine, installed in one of the squares of the capital.
Having completed her mission, Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Queen Helena returned to Rome, founding along the way several monasteries that still exist today. The most famous of them is Stavrovouni in Cyprus. As a gift to these monasteries, she left particles of the shrines she found in Jerusalem.
The fate of the relics of Saint Helena
Having thus completed the main work of her life, Queen Helena Equal to the Apostles returned to Rome, where she soon peacefully departed to the Lord. The exact date of her death, as well as the place of burial, have not been established. According to some sources, she was buried in Trier, where she owned a rich estate, according to others, in Rome. Some historians claim that her remains were transported to Palestine.
In general, the story associated with her relics is quite long and confusing. According to a number of sources, Emperor Constantine placed her body in a tomb made for himself, giving his mother his own sarcophagus as well. Then there is evidence that the relics were transported to France, where they were kept in Champagne for several centuries, and from there in time they came to Paris, where they are still kept in the church of Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles.
Saints Equal to the Apostles
For outstanding services in the spread of Christianity, Constantine and Helena were canonized as Equal-to-the-Apostles saints. It should be noted that in the entire world history of Christianity, only five women were awarded such an honor. Her veneration in the East began soon after her death, but in the Western Church it was established no earlier than the 9th century. Nowadays, the Orthodox Church pays tribute to the memory of her finding the Life-giving Cross of the Lord on March 19. In addition, on June 3, Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen are remembered in churches.
Posthumous veneration of mother and son
These saints, who gained unfading glory for themselves, became one of the most revered in the Christian world. One of the boundaries erected by the crusaders in the mid-12th century on the site where she carried out excavations in 326 is named after Equal-to-the-Apostles Helen. In addition, on different continents, many temples were built in her honor, and in honor of her son. One of them - the temple of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helena was erected in Kokand, but after the October Revolution, and the establishment Soviet power in the republics of Central Asia, was closed forever. Nowadays there is a mosque in its place.
There is also a very recently established parish of these saints equal to the apostles in Moscow, in the Mitino region. Despite the fact that it was consecrated only in 2004, it has already earned good reputation as one of the newly formed spiritual centers of the capital. His shrine is the icon “Elena Equal to the Apostles”, in front of which you can always see those who in prayers entrust their most secret things to it.
Where do we usually get information about the lives of saints? Of course, from information sources of a church and theological nature. It can be Orthodox magazines, newspapers, books, specific websites and educational resources on the Internet, as well as Christian films and programs. However, in the event that the ascetic appeared at the same time statesman and/or the 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 rulers of Rome were also included in the host of saints: Tsar Constantine and his mother, Queen Helena. Their memorial day 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. An amazing combination of outstanding spiritual, personal and physical qualities The chosen one of God 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 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 yourself in such difficult situation, while still a young woman, she concentrated 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 last emperor 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 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 main religion empires.
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.