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 Battle of Milvian Bridge, 1700th Anniversary Scott 1507 (2012) Constantine I, the Great, (co-emperor 313-324, sole emperor, 324-337) is considered a saint in the Eastern Church, and is sometimes referred to as ‘the Thirteenth Apostle.” He is not included in the list of saints in the Latin West. He was the son of Constantius I Chlorus and Helena (later St. Helena), born in c. 272 in Nis, Serbia. When his father died in 306, Constantine was proclaimed emperor by his troops in York, England. Between 306 and 312 he defeated rivals to the throne of the Empire, defeating Maxentius (his brother-in-law) at Milvian Bridge outside Rome on 28 October, 312. Prior to that battle, Constantine saw a vision in the sky of a cross and the words “in hoc signo vinces" (in this sign conquer). The cross emblem was displayed during the battle and Constantine was convinced that the Christian God favored his cause. In 313, Constantine and co-emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan which granted toleration to all religions in the Empire, including Christianity. In 324 he defeated Licinus at the Battle of Adrianople and became sole emperor. That same year he founded the city of Constantinople (formerly Byzantium), which was dedicated in 330 as the new capital of the Roman Empire. Before he left Rome for the east, Constantine encouraged the construction of Old St. Peter’s Basilica over the tomb of St. Peter, and also favored the construction of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. Constantine summoned the Council at Nicea in 325, which defined Christianity’s creed. He granted extensive land and property to the Church and supported the spread of the Christian faith. Constantine was baptised on his deathbed and died on 22 May, 337 in Nicomedia. He was initially buried at the Church of Holy Apostles in Constantinople (destroyed 1458 by the Ottoman Turks). The Basilica contained thirteen niches for the Apostles, with the thirteenth being designed for Constantine. Constantine’s very significant contribution to Christianity is that he set it on a legal foundation which allowed it to spread within the Roman Empire. In 380, Emperor Theodosius I, the Great declared Christianity to be the official religion ot the Roman Empire, a remarkable development for a religion periodically persecuted from the first century until 313 (and for a brief time under Emperor Julian, the Apostate, 361-363). It should also be noted that Constantine's mother, Saint Helena, also played a prominent role in early Christianity. Her pilgrimage to the Holy Land around the years 326–328 AD resulted in the construction of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, as well as the transmission of Christian relics to Rome. About the Stamp: "The Battle of the Milvian Bridge", a fresco by students of Raphael, captures the moment of Constantine’s victory on 28 October, 312. The stamp was jointly issue with Italy in 2012. Article Link: • James C Hamilton, Vatican Notes, Volume 60, Number 354, pp. 4-6, 2012, Vatican City New Issues: September 2012 |
