The Feast of the Holy Great Sovereigns St.
Constantine and Helen of Constantinople in the Bulgarian Orthodox
Church
Today is the commemoration day of St. Helena (of Constantinople)
and St. Emperor Constantine (I - the 1st.). St. Helena was a mother
of St. Constantine who used to be an Empreror in the Romain
Empire.When her son Constantine became Emperor, in the year
306.
Although she had previously been abandoned by her husband, her son
raised her to a position of great honour.
As Helena was a Christian she gave her support to their cause and,
in the year 326, she made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. There she
provided the wherewithal to found the building of a basilica on the
Mount of Olives and another at Bethlehem.
She is traditionally credited with finding the relics of the True
Cross on which Christ was crucified.
We celebrate and commemorate the two saints at one date
today.
Here in Bulgaria, the feast is a highly venerated one in our
Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
It's an interesting fact that it's considered that st. Helena has
found the Golgotha place (the place of Skulls / the place of the
crucifix), described in the Gospels.
She is also credited for building for a first time the famous
church Holy Sepulchre located in Jerusalem where the Holy Fire is
descending each and every year on Easter.
It's also really intereresting story part of the documented life of
St. Constantine, who once conquered with a tiny army against a huge
army, by carrying a flag with a Cross on it. The saint wasn't
christian but he saw a vision some time before the battle took
place, where he saw the Sign of the Cross in the Sky along with a
coming voice from heaven which told him: "With this you will
conquer". He then ordered all his army soldiers to draw a cross on
their shields and he entered the battle. And he conquered just like
he heard from the voice from heaven.
As a symbol of gratitude when he became an emperor he has put an
end to the persecution against the Christians and the Church.
He also gave a lot of money to his mother st. Helena who build many
christian temples in Jerusalem and Constantinople.
Outside the boundary of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the two
saints has many followers membering sects and cults.
The two saints are venerated in a cult sense highly be the so
called Fire-dancers. The Fire-Dancers, took some icons of the two
saints from the Church they "dress up the icons" in a special
dress, so that almost the whole icon of St. Constantine and Helena
is covered up.
Then they pick up the icon and walk or dance over a fire place ...
This cult practice is mostly widespread in
Strandzha
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has led an active fight against the
cults dedicated to St. Constantine and St. Helena. However after
the 9th of September as the communist govern took place, the church
has to discontinue the fight against the spread of the cults and
struggle to preserve itself from the communist attempts to destroy
it.
Let the merciful God has mercy on us after the prayers of St.
Constantine & St. Helen.