Celebrated every May 21, the Feast Day of Saints Constantine (Agios Konstantinos) and his mother Helen (Agia Eleni) is a significant observance in the Orthodox Christian calendar. This day commemorates the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine the Great, and his mother, Empress Helen, who famously discovered the True Cross.

The Life and Legacy of Constantine

Constantine was born in 272, in Naissus of Dardania, a city on the Hellespont. When his father Constantius Chlorus, the ruler of the westernmost parts of the Roman Empire, died in 306, Constantine was proclaimed successor to his throne. In 312, while leading his troops in Italy, Constantine witnessed a radiant pillar in the sky in the form of a cross, with the words: “By this shalt thou conquer.” The following night, Jesus Christ appeared to him in a dream, revealing the power and significance of the Cross.

In the morning, Constantine ordered a labarum—a standard of victory—to be made in the form of a cross, inscribed with the Name of Jesus Christ. On October 28, he defeated Maxentius, who drowned in the Tiber River while fleeing. Constantine then entered Rome in triumph and was proclaimed Emperor of the West by the Senate. He later defeated his brother-in-law, Licinius, who had persecuted Christians, and became the sole ruler of both the East and the West. Under Constantine, all persecutions against the Church ceased, and Christianity triumphed.

The First Ecumenical Council and Constantinople

In 325, Constantine convened the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, addressing it personally. In 324, he laid the foundations of the new capital of his realm, Constantinople, formerly Byzantium, inaugurating it on May 11, 330. This marked the transfer of the imperial rule from Rome to Constantinople, which was named New Rome. The inhabitants of its domain were called Romans, and it was considered the continuation of the Roman Empire.

Falling ill near Nicomedia, Constantine requested divine Baptism and, after receiving the Holy Mysteries, reposed on May 21 or 22, 337, the day of Pentecost. He had lived for sixty-five years, ruling for thirty-one of them. His remains were transferred to Constantinople and laid to rest in the Church of the Holy Apostles, which he had built.

As for his mother, Empress Helen, she undertook a journey to Jerusalem and found the Holy Cross on which Christ was crucified. In her zeal to glorify Christ, she erected churches in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and other sites. She was proclaimed Augusta, her image was stamped on golden coins, and two cities were named Helenopolis after her. She departed to the Lord at the age of eighty, around 330 or 336.

Today is the name day of Konstantinos, Konstantina, and Eleni. Xronia Polla!