The memory of the ruler of the Roman Empire, Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and his mother, Queen Helena, is honored by the Orthodox Church annually on June 3. Raised by a Christian mother and a father who did not allow the persecution of adherents of the Christian religion, Constantine, from childhood, absorbed a special respect for the faith. Having become a ruler, he directed all his efforts so that the freedom of the confession of faith in Christ was proclaimed in all countries subject to him.
Queen Helena, the mother of Constantine, also did a great many good deeds for the Church, she built temples and, at the insistence of her son, even brought from Jerusalem the very Life-giving Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified, for which she was also awarded the title of Equal to the Apostles.
A beautiful day of kindness and peace -
Saints Helena, Constantine.
They gave light all their lives
They prayed for less troubles for everyone.
Let's help
Wish each other well.
And maybe on a holy and clear day,
The world will become a little more beautiful.
On this day, Elena,
We sincerely want to wish
Fast, fun, with enthusiasm
Eliminate all adversity.
For happiness to fill
Your days are all to the brim
Well, everything that I dreamed of
It would be performed without words.
Today we glorify Constantine,
And the mother is the wonderful Elena.
Their faith, strength, kindness
For centuries, they have been incorruptible.
May the saints help you
When there is no other hope.
May I keep you from sorrow,
From pain, sorrow and troubles.
On Saint Helena's Day, on the Feast of Constantine
Let joy rush to your beautiful home.
The whole picture will become more fun than life,
To stay like that forever later!
I congratulate you and wish you happiness,
Faith in souls is sacred, cherish,
To make everything work out fine,
You live in good, comfort, glorious world!
On the Day of Constantine and Helena
I will tell you a couple of kind phrases:
Love and happiness are precious
Let the Saints keep you!
Prosperity, peace and happiness to you
I wish you a saint on this day!
May this joyful date
Will present you with a dream!
Constantine and Elena
Today we remember.
Health and goodness to you
I wish you this day.
May the saints protect
They will give you strength.
With their intercession of troubles
Don't be hit.
On the day of Helena and Constantine
Kindness will reign all around!
After all, for every Christian
This holiday has always been important!
I wish you peace and light,
So that good dreams come true!
May hearts be warmed with happiness!
I wish you all cleanliness in your soul!
Happy Saint Helena, Constantine,
Saints, beautiful women, men.
Let the rest on this day too
There will be strength to overcome all troubles.
Do not know any difficult life barriers,
Do not know longing, sorrow, sadness and loss,
Let the spring of life spout with a key,
Let every new moment be wonderful.
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 - so significant is their feat of preaching the Gospel and converting nations. Konstantin was born in the Serbian city of Nis in 272. Elena - in Drepan (Asia Minor), later renamed in honor of her in Elenopolis. The year of birth of Elena herself is not exactly established ...
Ambrose of Mediolansky 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, circled the horses, and she served him wine.
When Constantine was 21 years old, his father divorced Helena in order to marry the daughter of the emperor Maximian and strengthen his position at court. He became Caesar of the province of Gaul 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 inscribe the image of the Christian cross on the banners, and then he would win the victory (“and by this you conquer”). And so it happened. Constantine became the emperor of the western part of the Roman Empire. He managed to completely unite the lands in 321.
In 313, at the wedding of his sister in Milan, Constantine, who believed in Christ, read out an edict by which he legalized Christianity on the territory of the Roman Empire. Emperor Diocletian, an ardent persecutor of Christians, was also invited to the feast as a guest of honor. However, he did not come.
Helen, while in Trier, gave part of her home to the Christian community of the city so that a church could be built there. She became one of the oldest official churches, along with the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Constantine bestowed upon 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 Christian Creed 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 all his life dreamed of being baptized in Jordan, but he was baptized shortly before his death at his residence near Constantinople. He died in 337. The exact date of Elena's death is unknown.
We are grateful to Timofey Katnis for help in preparing the material.
Drawings by Elena Popovskaya
The third of June is a special day for believing Christians. This date is marked in the church calendar as the day of Tsar Constantine Equal to the Apostles and his mother, Equal to the Apostles Queen Helena.
Elena from an early age was brought up according to Christian precepts and followed this faith all her life.
Day of Saints Helena and Constantine congratulations: the history of the holiday
The Day of Saints Helena and Constantine marks a celebration of the great biblical saints who made a huge contribution to the development of Christianity. Despite the strict prohibitions on supporting Christians that existed in the pagan times of Rome, the emperor's wife Elena managed to raise her son in accordance with the biblical canons and traditions, convincing her stern husband not to subject believers to persecution and torture. Having ascended the throne, the young emperor Constantine officially recognized the Christian faith and began the construction of temples.
In addition, Saint Helen, in spite of her high rank, made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, bringing from there a cross, which in the owl became the place of the crucifixion of the Savior. Today, Orthodox and Catholics around the world turn to these saints with prayers for intercession and support and difficult times. It is believed that their sacred help can strengthen the spirit and get out of the most difficult situations.
Day of Saints Helena and Constantine congratulations: how to celebrate the holiday
Of course, on such a day, you must definitely go to church, raise your prayers to Constantine and his mother for the fact that Christianity today is not only a religion for many, but real salvation and faith in miracles. You can ask for health and well-being for all your loved ones. Ask for something for yourself. The main thing is that thoughts are pure and light.
As a gift for someone close or for the whole family, you can buy an icon that will protect the house and guide people on the right path.
You can also tell the children a story about how much the mother and son did for all people, letting them forget about the fear of their faith, and giving them hope of salvation in the eyes of the Lord. Their life can become a vivid example of how, while caring about the fate of others, they themselves can become better, cleaner and brighter, thus drawing closer to God. Such righteous deeds will never be erased from the memory of people, remaining an eternal reminder, in the form of the fact that today every person can proudly say that he is an Orthodox person.
The bright holiday of mother and son must be remembered and honored. These two people who lived so long and far away have done so much for the whole world. It is imperative to praise them on their holiday, but it is even better that such words be spoken from the bottom of your heart every time a person crosses the temple of God.
Day of Saints Helena and Constantine congratulations: congratulations in verse
Happy Saints Helena and Constantine
I hasten to congratulate you, friends.
So that life does not seem like a routine
a person needs a family,
So that the heart does not grow stale inside,
so that each of us is kind
You need to think about the life of Elena and Constantine,
think and hurry,
After all, their path, their thorny paths
unwittingly suggest a thought
That it is not for nothing, not in vain for us
God has given life.
Happy Saints Constantine and Helena Day!
Let thoughts be as pure as sea foam,
May this day be remembered for the elevation of the soul
And may all thoughts be always good.
On the Day of Constantine and Helena
May all be blessed
On faith, good deeds,
The Lord's hand will help!
Who glorifies Christianity
The Lord lets him into his house,
And the world is getting kinder
The soul is wiser and brighter!
May faith reign forever
In the name of the deeds of the saints and the Lord Christ!
Constantine and Elena glorified the faith,
They helped people to become brighter!
For souls to be invariable
Always blessed by the Lord!
We remember good deeds
Their holy lives, names,
Better to become and cleaner, we promise
Praise the Lord Jesus!
Queen Helena and son Constantine,
served so faithfully for faith in Christ,
that the feast is in June and your holiness,
they undoubtedly deserve from everyone!
Let all prayers go to them,
and souls will find only their cleansing,
let Elena and son Constantine,
for the believers will give forgiveness!
Once upon a time there was a Roman ruler Constantine,
and the queen mother Elena gave birth to him,
they are glorified for righteous deeds in the world,
and to this day their merits are incorruptible!
June is the day now for these there are saints,
and the people celebrate the day of remembrance of Helena, Constantine,
their holiness to all now gives a worthy example,
true epics were composed about their deeds!
Saints Day - Helena, Constantine
Our country celebrates in summer.
In faith with all her soul, she is one,
We need faith like the sun.
Roman Empire ruled
Konstantin. He honored the church from childhood.
And he directed his deeds
To protect those he loved.
And Elena, mother queen,
She was a devout Christian.
To educate under the wise hand
She was able to have a son as an apostle.
Day of Saints Helena and Constantine congratulations: congratulations in SMS
Great biblical saints
Today we will honor the prayer
And we will light candles for them!
Elena and son Constantine
Orthodox all people
Celebrating June holiday!
Grace may descend -
We sincerely wish!
We ask the great saints,
So that they cover us with their good,
May the world bring their warmth to us!
We have opened hearts for faith!
On Mother Saint Helena's Day
And glorious Constantine
We want on our knees in churches
Their people thanked everyone,
On the day of Helena, Constantine
We want to wish you
Bright life so that the picture
Turned back time.
03 June 2014
June 3 - Day of Remembrance of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and his mother, Queen Helena
Today we are celebrating a holiday in honor of the saints Equal to the Apostles Tsar Constantine and Queen Helena. Emperor Constantine the Great ruled the Roman Empire in the first half of the 4th century. For outstanding services to the Holy Church, to the Christian faith, this tsar, along with his mother, Queen Helena, was canonized and even called Equal to the Apostles.
Tsar Constantine was the son of one of the rulers of the then Roman Empire, which at that time was divided into four regions. His father ruled Britain. And so, after the death of his father, he was proclaimed emperor. At that time, the holy Tsar Constantine had many enemies, and he was the only ruler in the then Roman Empire who patronized the Christian faith. The other rulers of the then Roman Empire naturally went to war. Military operations took place, and before the decisive battle, Tsar Constantine contemplated in the sky the vision of the Cross and the inscription: "By this, conquer." That is, by the Power of the Cross, God will grant him victory.
For 300 years the Christian Church has experienced the most severe persecution. And so the Providence of God leads Tsar Constantine to the Christian faith, then arranges so that Tsar Constantine becomes the ruler of the entire Roman Empire, both Western and Eastern. In 313 he published the Edict of Tolerance in Milan, where he stopped the persecution of Christians, and the Christian faith received freedom. This was the providential meaning and miracle of the sight of the Cross in heaven, and the subsequent victory of Tsar Constantine, and his reign over the Roman Empire.
And we also know that in 325 the Orthodox Church was tormented by the heresy of Arius, who called Christ a creation, denied the consubstantial Son of God to God the Father. And so, in the year 325, in order to establish the Orthodox faith, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine convened the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, at which our Symbol of Faith was drawn up to the words "... and into the Holy Spirit." Thus, we see that the Church did not in vain glorify the emperor Constantine as an equal to the apostles, thereby emphasizing that the works of this king and his mother are similar to the Apostles.
And the mother of the holy Tsar Constantine, when her son reigned over the Roman Empire, went to the Holy Land, to Palestine, and there she cleansed the holy places associated with the life of the Son of God from pagan temples. Together with her son, Tsar Constantine, she built a magnificent Church of the Resurrection of the Lord on the site of the death and resurrection of Christ. The Holy Queen Helen found the Life-giving Cross near Golgotha, the one on which the Son of God was crucified. And so, for her faith, for the upbringing of such a great son - Tsar Constantine, for such a zeal for the holy places in the Holy Land, in Palestine, Queen Helena was also numbered by the church among the Equal-to-the-Apostles.
We see, dear brothers and sisters, how the Church of Christ glorifies those people who built and reverently treated the shrines. Saints Constantine and Helena - builders of Orthodox churches. And by the Church they are glorified along with the Apostles. Of us, of course, there are few temple builders. But we are all called to revere the shrine of the temple! Without a doubt, God must be honored, first of all, internally. But the inner content of our soul is necessarily expressed externally. The Lord said: "A good man takes out good from a good treasure; but an evil man takes out evil from an evil treasure" (Matthew 12:35). So, on this holy day, remembering the memory of these great saints, we need to think a little about the inner and outer content of our life path.
Christ commanded us to fulfill His Divine commandments. The New Testament, in contrast to the Old, is a renewal of the spirit. In the Old Testament, all meaning, all emphasis was placed on external religiosity, although there were prophets who said that God seeks the human heart, seeks the spirit, seeks the love of man for God. There were prophets, but in general the Law of Moses was of a ritual, external character. And representatives of the Old Testament religion, especially in the person of the clergy, Pharisees, scribes, fulfilled the Old Testament law only outwardly. They made sacrifices, performed some kind of external rituals, ablutions, outwardly visited the Jerusalem temple, the synagogue, but their heart was far from God. And we know that the Lord likened the Old Testament teachers to “painted graves”, which inside are filled with all sins, the stench of passions, but from the outside they seem to look nothing, not bad. Such was the overwhelming majority of Old Testament religiosity. Of course, there were true righteous people in the Old Testament, but there were very few of them.
When Christ came, He revealed that true faith, true knowledge of God takes place within. The Savior says: “The blind Pharisee! cleanse first the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside of them may also be clean ”(Matthew 23:26). That is, the Lord Jesus Christ in His Gospel teaching makes the whole meaning, the whole emphasis on the inner reincarnation of a person, in the renewal of the spirit, our heart and our thoughts. The Lord teaches about love for God and neighbor, but at the same time does not deny the external law. Because, naturally, a person's faith, his striving for God, always, in one way or another, are manifested in an external form. But the most important thing is kept in the soul, in a pure, believing heart, humble, reverent and in unhypocritical love for neighbors. Otherwise, there remains only hypocrisy, theater, there remains what Christ called “pharisaism,” that is, only one external service to God.
We are called to an inner rebirth, to a renewal of our souls in the spirit of the Christian faith. However, we also have some external customs, rules, rituals. But, unfortunately, the sinfulness, the illness of the human soul is such that we often do not renew ourselves internally enough, we do not fight enough for the purity of our hearts and our thoughts. With great difficulty, an internal rebirth takes place in us, our renewal in joy, in love, in peace, in patience, in humility, in unhypocritical faith, in helping other people. In these inner virtues, we hardly thrive.
But if we look at some external customs, virtues, then, unfortunately, we will see that we also have a lot of purely external omissions. For example, with pain, it happens, you see that very, very few people know how to cross themselves correctly. Unfortunately, one can often see a believer who, instead of reverently imposing the sign of the cross, makes some kind of meaningless gesture: baptizes, for example, his belly or his chest, or as if brushes something off his chest. Makes some kind of hasty, meaningless movement. And this is the sign of the cross? Naturally, the heart of a shepherd cannot look at this indifferently. And we really have a lot of such, purely external, omissions.
In, for example, take the virtue of reverent attitude to the shrine of an Orthodox church. How do we do it in practice? The temple is a holy place, where God Himself is present, where terrible sacraments are performed, where the Holy Spirit breathes. In the temple majestic hymns and psalms are sung, the Holy Scriptures are read, here we can receive hope for salvation. And what do we see? Not everyone really treats the temple with reverence, with the fear of God, feeling the holiness of this place. Some kind of petrified insensibility attacks the heart, some kind of spiritual illness. The person seems to forget where he is. He does not feel sacred when he hears the words of prayers and sacred hymns - he perceives it completely indifferently, as if it is something empty, something that absolutely does not concern him in any way. And this is just a manifestation, on the one hand, of an internal spiritual illness, and on the other hand, an external one. It's very scary. Each of us - and each clergyman, and each lower minister in the temple, who performs this or that obedience, service, and each ordinary believer, both man and woman - are responsible for the sanctity of worship, for the sanctity of the temple. We should not look indifferently at some outrage that is happening in the church, at some noise and interference with worship. The soul of every person should be sick for the shrine of the temple. And we must first of all pray about it. We must also be able to tell a neighbor who has forgotten that he is in a temple, who behaves in a temple, like in a shop, or like in a bazaar, or somewhere in a museum - we must be able to such a person with love, with Christian meekness and humbly advise, point out to him, remind him that he is in a holy place where prayer to God is being performed, where the Lord accepts us, accepts our prayer, our repentance, and here it is useless to misbehave or make noise.
Thus, of course, we have a lot of both purely external and internal shortcomings. But we need to remember the words of the Gospel that the Lord Jesus came into the world of sinners to save and not despair. We must strive to fulfill the commandments of God, we must strive to renew ourselves internally: to get rid of sinful thoughts, from inappropriate feelings, aspirations, to try to correct our life, to remove from it everything that is unclean and sinful. On the other hand, we must try to carry out our outer religious life in accordance with the church charter, in accordance with the traditions of the Church. The inner is more important than the outer, however, one cannot conceive of the inner without the outer either. It happens that when a person stands reverently in the church and prays, his external behavior involuntarily and on his soul begins to act. A person will make some kind of external gesture: he will worship God reverently, with the fear of God he will attach himself to the image, to the icon, or he will impose the sign of the cross on himself with reverence - and this external gesture has an internal influence on his soul. Everything is interconnected here.
And on this holy day, through the prayers of the holy kings Constantine and Helena, may the merciful, good Lord grant us to be affirmed both in the holy Christ's Gospel commandments and in the external church statutes. Amen. Christ is Risen! Truly Risen!
Where do we usually get information about the lives of the saints? Of course, from information sources of a church, theological nature. These can be Orthodox magazines, newspapers, books, specific sites and educational resources of the Internet, as well as Christian films and programs. However, in the event that the ascetic was at the same time a statesman and / or a military leader 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 Russia, Princess Olga, Prince Dimitry Donskoy. The rulers of Rome also fell into the host of saints: Tsar Constantine and his mother, Queen Helen. Memorial Day Equal to the Apostles Constantine and Helena was established by the church on June 3.
Information about Constantine
Saint Constantine was born in the 3rd century A.D., more specifically, in the 274th year. 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 the great power: Gaul and Britain. Officially, this family was considered pagan, but in fact, the only son of Caesar Constantius Chlorus and Helen grew up a true Christian, brought up by his parents in an atmosphere of kindness and love for God. Unlike other co-rulers of the Roman Empire, Diocletian, Maximian Hercules and Maximian Galerius, the father of Saint Constantine did not persecute Christians in the estates entrusted to him.
The future ruler of Rome was distinguished by numerous virtues, among which a calm disposition and modesty were especially distinguished. Outwardly, Saint Constantine also attracted those around him, because 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 mental, personal and physical qualities of the chosen one of God became during the reign of Saint Rome the subject of black envy and malice of courtiers. For this reason, Caesar Galerius became Constantine's sworn enemy.
The years of the saint's youth were not spent in his father's house. The youth was taken hostage and held at the court of the tyrant Diocletian in Nicomedia. They treated him well, but most of the time they deprived him of communication with the saint's family. Thus, co-ruler Constance Chlorus wanted to secure the loyalty of Father Constantine.
Information about Elena
What is known about the personality of the ruler Elena? 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 the owner of the hotel. The future queen got married contrary to the canons of that time, not by calculation and not 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 from the emperor Diocletian an appointment to become the ruler of three regions at once: Gaul, Britain and Spain. At the same time, the tyrant put forward to Constance Chlorus the demand for a divorce from Elena and the marriage of the co-ruler to his stepdaughter Theodora. Then Constantine, at the behest of the emperor Diocletian, went to Nicomedia.
Tsarina Elena at that time was a little over forty years old. Finding herself in such a difficult situation, even a young woman concentrated all her love on her son - historians are sure that she never saw her husband again. Saint Helena found shelter near the area where Constantine was. There they were sometimes able to see each other and communicate. The queen got acquainted with Christianity in Drepanum, which was later renamed Helenopolis in honor of the mother of Constantine the Great (this is how the virtuous Roman ruler was later called). The woman was baptized in a local church. Over the next thirty years, Elena lived in unceasing prayer, cultivating virtues in herself, engaged in cleansing her own soul from previous sins. The result of the work done was the acquisition of the saint with the honorary religious title "Equal to the Apostles."
State activity of Constantine
In 306, Constantius Chlorus, the father of Constantine the Great, died. Immediately after this mournful event, the army proclaimed the latter emperor of Gaul and Britain instead of the previous ruler. The young man at that time was 32 years old - the prime of his youth. Constantine took the reins of government of these regions into his own hands and declared freedom of worship of Christianity 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 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 rival. To this, the son of Queen Helena decided to organize a military campaign, the purpose of which he saw in the deliverance of Rome from adversity 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, moreover, the cruel tyrant resorted to the help of black magic in order to win at all costs a victory over the defender of Christians. The son of Elena and Constance Chlorus, despite his youth, was a very wise man. He quickly assessed the situation and came to the conclusion that one should expect support only from God. Constantine began to pray sincerely and fervently to the Creator for sending help. The Lord heard him and showed a miraculous sign in the form of a cross of light near the sun with the inscription "by this you conquer." This happened before an important battle with the enemy, the soldiers of the emperor 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 he would only defeat the tyrant Maxentius with the help of the cross, and gave advice to acquire the same banner. Obeying 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 good of Christians. He took the latter under his special protection, although he never oppressed peoples of other religions. The only ones Constantine was intolerant of was the pagans. The saint even had to fight 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 sovereign emperor of the state. Of course, he immediately declared Christianity to be the main religion of the empire.
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 true faith in God. She brought part of the shrine to Rome to her son. Elena died in 327. Her relics are in the Italian capital. Constantine died ten years later, leaving his three sons to reign in Rome.
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