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Saint Constantine & Saint Helen

"Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father."

(Matthew 13:43)
Painting of the Icon of King Constantine and Queen Helen at St. Mary and St. Joseph Coptic Orthodox Church

The Story In A Minute

Saint Helen the Empress

She was born in the city of Raha (Edessa in Turkey) to Christian parents in the third century (about year 247 A.D). They brought her up in a Christian manner, taught her the doctrine of the church and the religious ethics. She was a very beautiful young lady who caught the attention of an emperor.

When Emperor Constantius the First, Emperor of Byzantium, came to the city of Raha, and heard about her, he sought her out and married her. She gave birth to Constantine, who became the first Christian Emperor. She brought him up well, and taught him philosophy, wisdom and knighthood.

Emperor Constantine the Righteous

Queen Helen gave birth to her son Constantine in 272 A.D. at Naissus (modern day Niš in Serbia). After his father's death, he received the kingdom and he reigned with justice and integrity, and stopped all unfair practices.

All the people were subject to him and loved him; his righteous judgement spread throughout the Empire. The nobles of Rome sent asking him to come and save them from the injustice of Maximianus. Constantine marched with his army toward Rome to save them.

The Vision of The Cross

During the war, Constantine saw in the heaven, in the middle of the day, a Cross made of stars, and on it was written in Greek words: "With this you shall conquer." That night, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a vision and said to him:

"Make a sign for yourself like that sign which you had seen, and with it you shall conquer your enemies."

The next morning, he prepared a large flag with the sign of the cross on it, and made the sign of the cross on all the armaments. He engaged with Maximianus in a battle and fought, and was able to defeat Maximianus, who withdrew his army.

Constantine entered Rome and its people welcomed him with joy and gladness, and its learned men praised the Honorable Cross and called it the Savior of their city. Then for seven days they celebrated the cross, and Constantine became the Emperor of the East and the West.

The First Christian Emperor

When Constantine established himself in Rome, he and most of his soldiers were baptized by the Pope of Rome. In the eleventh year of his reign, he sent throughout the kingdom and commanded to set free all those who were imprisoned for the sake of the Christian faith. He also issued that Christians should not work during Passion week, as was commanded by the Apostles.

In the seventeenth year of his reign, the Holy Council of the Three Hundred and Eighteen bishops assembled at Nicea in the year 325 A.D., which arranged the affairs of the Christians and laid down the cannons of the church. He rebuilt the city of Byzantium and called it after his name "Constantinople".

He also brought to Constantinople many of the bodies of the apostles and holy martyrs. This is why the Coptic Orthodox Church honors this righteous saint in its hymns:

"Blessed are you O Constantine, for you revived the faith, for this God gave you life, in the Kingdom of Heaven".

Hymn of Constantine, Sung on the Feast of the Cross

Finding The Holy Cross

During the reign of her son, Queen Helen saw a vision at night of someone saying to her: "Go to Jerusalem and search carefully for the Honorable Cross and the Holy places". When she informed her son about this, he sent her with many soldiers to Jerusalem.

She searched for the wood of the Honorable Cross, which our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ was crucified on, until she found it, along with the other two crosses whereon the two thieves were crucified. However, she wanted to know which was the cross of the Lord Christ.

Saint Macarius, bishop of Jerusalem, told her that it was the cross that was written on the top of it: "This is Jesus, king of the Jews." She told him that she wished to see a miracle to make sure that it was the cross of the Lord.

By the will of God, a procession of a dead man was passing by at that time. She placed the other two crosses on the body of the dead man, but he did not rise. When she placed the third cross, straightway the dead rose up. Her faith increased and her joy multiplied.

She built the church of resurrection and many other churches. She offered the necessary funds to build the churches to Saint Macarius, and she took the honorable Cross and the nails and returned to her righteous son Emperor Constantine. He kissed the Cross and placed it in a case made of gold. He decorated the case with precious stones, and placed some of the nails in his own helmet.

The Hymns of the Feast of the Cross

In all the fasts and feasts of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Coptic Hymnology is beautifully used to express important theological and dogmatic ideas to rich, heavenly melodies. Thus, it is no surprise that the Feast of the Cross includes many such intricate hymns. Enjoy listening to them here!

Their Departure

Saint Helen led a righteous life, and she donated many endowments to the churches, monasteries and the poor. She departed at the age of eighty. Saint Constantine departed in the city of Nicomedia in 337 A.D., but was brought to Constantinople. The Patriarch and all the people received him with prayers, psalms, and spiritual hymns, and laid him in the sanctuary of the holy apostles.

The Feasts

The Coptic church celebrates:
+ The commemoration of the departure of Saint Helen on May 17th - the 9th day of the Coptic month of Pashons.
+ The commemoration of the departure of Saint Constantine on April 6th - the 28th day of the Coptic month of Paremhotep.
+ The Commemoration of the Appearance of the Honorable Cross on March 19th- the 10th day of the Coptic month of Paremhotep.
+ The Commemoration of the consecration of the church of the Honorable Cross on September 27th - the 17th day of the Coptic month of Thoout.

References

Synaxarium- Coptic Reader App

Coptic Synaxarium App

Coptic Church. Net

St. Takla. Org