Portal:Saints/Selected biography/June 2007

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Head of the marble statue of Constantine at Musei Capitolini
Head of the marble statue of Constantine at Musei Capitolini

Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus[1] (27 February ca. 280[2]–22 May 337 AD), commonly known as Constantine I, (among Roman Catholics) and Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine (Greek: : Μέγας Κωνσταντίνος) (among Eastern Orthodox Christians), was a Roman Emperor, proclaimed Augustus by his troops on July 25, 306 in modern day York, England and who ruled an ever-growing portion of the Roman Empire until his death. The Byzantine liturgical calendar, observed by the Eastern Orthodox Church but also by Eastern Catholic Churches of Byzantine rite, lists Constantine, with his mother Saint Helena on 21 May as a saint. Although he is not included in the Latin Church's list of saints, which does recognize several other Constantines as saints, he is revered under the title "The Great" for his contributions to Christianity. Roman Catholics also recognize his mother as Saint Helena and celebrate her feast day on 18 August.

[edit] References

  1. ^ In (Latin Constantine's official imperial title was IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS CONSTANTINVS PIVS FELIX INVICTVS AVGVSTVS, Imperator Caesar Flavius Constantine Augustus, the pious, the fortunate, the undefeated. After 312, he added MAXIMVS ("the greatest"), and after 325 replaced invictus ("undefeated") with VICTOR, as invictus reminded of Sol Invictus, the Sun God.
  2. ^ Birth dates vary but recent mainstream sources use "ca. 274" such as in "Constantine", Encyclopedia Britannica, 2007 Online edition; and "Constantine", Dictionary of the Middle Ages, volume 3, 1983.