Helen It’s probably one of the mothers most important in history. We all know how influential a motherbut this one in particular caused a change in the course of humanity.
How did he manage to Christianityone of the many religious sects of Mediterranean Antiquity, became the official religion of the Roman empire, and thereby spread throughout Europe and the entire world? What is it that changed so that the emperor constantine stop persecuting Christians and not only become one of them, but promote the Christianity throughout the empire? As in all historical processes, there are merely political decisions that revolutionize the course of history. historyalthough these decisions are often the product of deeper ideological influences and cultural movements.
We may never fully know what caused such a change in the history of Rome. Some sources report that constantine was marching into battle when he saw a column of light rising in a cross and the words were formed «Hoc sign victor eris», what do they mean in latin “By this sign you will win”. On the following night, constantine he dreamed that Jesus commanded him to paint two letters of the word Christ: x (chee), p (rho), on the shields of his troops. The emperor obeyed his instructions and succeeded in defeating his enemy, and thus became the Christianity.
Myth or truth, the truth is that a slightly more evident and probable influence was that of his own mother, Helen of Constantinople. Flavia Iulia Helena was born in the middle of 3rd century possibly in the Roman locality of Drepanum (known later as Helenopolis) in the Gulf of Nicomedia, and died around the year 330. He was of humble family; perhaps an innkeeper.
However, she became the lawful wife of Constantius Chlorinewho was emperor of the Roman Empire in 305. His first and only son, constantine, was born in Naissus long before, in Alta Moesia, in 274. But it was not all joy. In 292, Constantius decided to divorce Helena so he could marry Helena’s stepdaughter. Maximian and thus establish the essential kinship between the members of the Roman tetrarchy.
Dead Constantius Chlorine in 306, constantine decided to take his mother to live with him in the imperial court, conferring on him the title of augustaand ordering that honors such as the mother of the sovereign, such as the minting of coins with his image. During the government of his son, Helen would have converted to Christianity and influenced to constantine for the building of churches and the promulgation of edicts in favor of religious liberty.
Helen He died after many years of pious living, including the legend of having found the remains of the cross of Christ in Jerusalem, and from then on it was considered holy by the Roman Church, and the Orthodox Church.
Sources:
- Herrin, J.: The Imperial Feminine in ByzantiumThe Past and Present Society, 2000.
- Holloway, J.: Helena, Egeria, and Paula: The Bible and Women Pilgrims1997.
- Catholic Encyclopedia