Synaxarium

On this day in the year 53 A.M. (337 A.D.) the righteous emperor Saint Constantine the Great departed. His father's name was Constantius (1) Constantius Chlorus (the Green), and his mother was Helena. His father was king over Byzantium, Maximian over Rome, and Diocletian over Antioch and Egypt. Constantius's father was a pagan, but he was righteous, loving goodness, merciful, and compassionate. It happened that he went to Edessa, where he saw Helena and was pleased with her, so he married her. She was a Christian and conceived Constantine from him. Then he left her in Edessa and returned to Byzantium. She gave birth to Constantine and raised him well, educating him with all good manners and instilling in his heart mercy and compassion for Christians. She did not dare to baptize him or tell him she was Christian. He grew up and became a horseman and went to his father, who rejoiced in him when he saw his wisdom, knowledge, and horsemanship. After his father's death, he took over the kingdom and spread justice and fairness, preventing oppression. All submitted to him and loved him, and his justice spread throughout the lands. The nobles of Rome sent to him asking him to save them from the oppression of Maximian. He marched with his army to rescue them. During the war, he saw in the sky at midday a cross made of stars with the Greek inscription meaning "By this, conquer." Its light shone brighter than the sun. He showed it to his ministers and nobles, who read what was written but did not understand the reason for its appearance. That night, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a vision and said: "Make the sign you saw, and by it, you will conquer your enemies." In the morning, he prepared a large banner and drew the sign of the cross on it, as he also marked all the weapons with it. He fought Maximian in a fierce battle, who fled and, while crossing the bridge over the Tiber River, fell and perished along with most of his soldiers. Constantine entered Rome, and its people welcomed him with joy and acclamation. Its poets praised the cross and called it the savior of their city. They celebrated the cross for seven days, and Constantine became king of the East and West.

When he settled in Rome, he was baptized along with most of his army by Pope Sylvester in the eleventh year of his reign and the fourth year after the appearance of the glorious cross. He then issued an order throughout the kingdom to release prisoners and commanded that no one work during Holy Week, following the apostles' instructions. He sent Helena to Jerusalem, where she discovered the Holy Cross. In the seventeenth year of his reign, the sacred council of 318 met in Nicaea in 325 A.D. They arranged the affairs of Christians in the best and most excellent order. He rebuilt Byzantium, named it Constantinople after himself, and brought there the bodies of many apostles and saints. He died in Nicomedia, where they placed him in a golden coffin and carried him to Constantinople. The patriarch and priests received him with prayers, readings, and spiritual hymns and placed him in the church of the holy apostles. He lived seventy-five years. To the Lord be glory, power, and greatness, and upon us His mercy and grace forever. Amen.

He sat on the patriarchal throne for 42 years, 3 months, and 12 days, and the throne remained vacant for one year and 12 days after him. May his prayers be with us, and to our Lord be glory forever. Amen.

During his reign, the See of Alexandria regained the See of Nubia and Sudan after being separated for five hundred years. The return of Nubia to the patriarchal fold is attributed to the fact that Muhammad Ali Pasha the Great conquered Sudan, annexed its lands to Egypt, and many Sudanese returned to Christianity. Many Christian state clerks and army men settled there and built churches. They requested Pope Peter to send them a bishop to shepherd the Christian people in those lands. He ordained a bishop named Damianus from among the monks, who was approved by the Sudanese people. This bishop died during Pope Peter's days, and he ordained another bishop for them. Since then, the See of Nubia, which is Sudan, was renewed. During his tenure on the Alexandrian throne, this pope ordained twenty-five bishops over the dioceses of Egypt and Nubia and also ordained two metropolitans for Ethiopia: the first, Anba Cyril IV in 1820, and the second in 1833 AD.