Icon of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helena. Material - wood. Condition - good. Constantine is associated with the introduction of Christianity as the official religion in Byzantium. Constantine the Great was the first Christian Roman emperor. With the consent of Emperor Constantine the Great - all religions are declared equal, Christianity is finally legalized. The proclamation of the equality of religions in the Roman Empire ended the persecution of Christians. Saint Helena was the concubine of the Roman Emperor Constantius Chlorus and the mother of their son, the Emperor Constantine. Helena is traditionally believed to have traced Golgotha to Jerusalem, ordered excavations there, and discovered the Holy Sepulcher and the Holy Cross. According to legend, Elena entered the temple with Bishop Macarius and chose a place to begin excavations, which led to the unearthing of 3 crosses, including the Holy Cross and the nails of the crucifixion. On the day of St. Helena and her son Emperor Constantine, in some places it is played on the embers (hearth). According to some historians, this custom is related to the pagan rituals preserved from the time of the Thracians, although the nestinars play on the embers with the icon of St. Helena and St. Constantine.