Equal-to-the-Apostles Saints Constantine and Helen. Wooden orthodox icon.
In the fields are the saints: Martyr Chrysanthus of Rome and Martyr Daria
Saint Emperor Constantine (306-337), who received the title of "equal to the apostles" from the Church and was called the Great in world history, was the son of Caesar Constantius Chlorus (305-306), who ruled the countries of Gaul and Britain. The vast Roman Empire was at that time divided into Western and Eastern, headed by two independent emperors who had co-rulers, one of whom in the Western half was the father of Emperor Constantine. Saint Empress Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, was a Christian. The future ruler of the entire Roman Empire, Constantine, was raised to respect the Christian religion. His father did not persecute Christians in the countries under his rule, while in the rest of the Roman Empire Christians were subjected to cruel persecution by the emperors Diocletian (284-305), his co-ruler Maximian Galerius (305-311) - in the East and Emperor Maximian Hercules (284-305) - in the West.
After the death of Constantius Chlorus, his son Constantine was proclaimed emperor of Gaul and Britain by the troops in 306. The first thing the new emperor did was to proclaim freedom of confession of the Christian faith in the countries under his control. The fanatical pagan Maximian Galerius in the East and the cruel tyrant Maxentius in the West hated Emperor Constantine and plotted to depose and kill him, but Constantine forestalled them and, with God's help, defeated all his opponents in a series of wars. He prayed to God to give him a sign that would inspire his army to fight bravely, and the Lord showed him in the sky a shining sign of the Cross with the inscription "By this, conquer."
Having become the sovereign ruler of the Western part of the Roman Empire, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan on religious tolerance in 313, and in 323, when he reigned as the sole emperor over the entire Roman Empire, he extended the Edict of Milan to the entire eastern part of the empire. After three hundred years of persecution, Christians were given the opportunity to openly profess their faith in Christ for the first time.
Having rejected paganism, the emperor did not leave ancient Rome, the former center of the pagan state, as the capital of the empire, but moved his capital to the east, to the city of Byzantium, which was renamed Constantinople. Constantine was deeply convinced that only the Christian religion could unite the huge, heterogeneous Roman Empire. He supported the Church in every way, returned Christian confessors from exile, built churches, and cared for the clergy. Deeply revering the cross of the Lord, the emperor wanted to find the Life-Giving Cross itself, on which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified.
For this purpose, he sent his mother, the holy queen Helena, to Jerusalem, giving her great powers and material resources. Together with the Jerusalem Patriarch Macarius, Saint Helena began the search, and by the Providence of God, the Life-Giving Cross was miraculously found in 326. While in Palestine, the holy queen did much for the benefit of the Church. She ordered that all places connected with the earthly life of the Lord and His Most Pure Mother be freed from all traces of paganism, and ordered that Christian churches be erected in these memorable places. Emperor Constantine himself ordered a magnificent temple to be built over the cave of the Holy Sepulcher in honor of the Resurrection of Christ.
Saint Helena gave the Life-Giving Cross to the Patriarch for safekeeping, and took part of the Cross with her to present to the Emperor. Having given generous alms in Jerusalem and arranged meals for the poor, during which she herself served, Saint Empress Helena returned to Constantinople, where she soon died in 327.
For her great services to the Church and her efforts to find the Life-Giving Cross, Empress Helena is called Equal to the Apostles.
The icon is made by printing on a wooden board. Paints are mineral, do not fade with time. The thickness of the board is 2 cm. The board is covered with primer by hand. The image is covered with wax. Each icon has a metal mount on the back side so that you can hang the icon on the wall.
You can buy the icon in three sizes:
- 13 х 11 centimeters (5,1 x 4,3 inches)
- 19 х 16 centimeters (7,5 x 6,3 inches)
- 26 х 22 centimeters (10,2 x 8,7 inches)
Our icons are made by Orthodox craftsmen. You can read more about the technology here.
We hope it will be a good gift for you and your loved ones.
