The Romanian Orthodox Church celebrates Holy Emperors Constantine and Elena Day on May 21. Over 1.7 million Romanian citizens celebrate their name day on this date.
According to data from the General Directorate for Population Records, 675,241 men and 1,098,263 women bear the names Constantin, Elena, or their derivatives, News.ro reported. A total of 422,622 men bear the name Constantin. Also, 830,439 women bear the name Elena, and 94,115 are named Ileana.
Constantine and his mother Elena are known as those who granted freedom to Christianity. Elena, probably originally from Drepanum (later named Helenopolis), in the Gulf of Nicomedia, married Roman emperor Constantius Chlorus. He divorced her around the year 292 in order to marry the stepdaughter of emperor Maximian, Theodora. Nevertheless, Constantine, Elena’s son, later became emperor of the Roman Empire and, following his rise, she became an important presence at the imperial court.
Gaius Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (February 27, 272 – May 22, 337), also referred to as Saint Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor who ascended the throne on July 25, 306. His father was Caesar Constantius Chlorus and his mother was Saint Helen.
In January 313, he issued the Edict of Milan, through which Christianity became a “permitted religion” alongside others in the empire. The emperor took several measures in favor of the Christian Church, removing from the penal laws the punishments that were against Christianity. The emperor and his family supported the repair of churches and also helped build others.
At the same time, Emperor Constantine the Great built a new capital (Constantinople), which would be the Christian capital of the Roman Empire.
In 321, the emperor declared Sunday as the weekly holiday of Christians, a day of rest in the empire, in which even soldiers attended the service. He died on May 22, 337.
Numerous churches, in Romania and abroad, are dedicated to Saint Emperors Constantine and Elena. One of the oldest places of worship dedicated to them in Romania is the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest, founded by the ruler of Wallachia, Constantin Șerban Basarab (1654–1658), which was consecrated in 1658.
(Photo source: Lefteris Papaulakis | Dreamstime.com)