When Byzantion hugs Christianity

Hey history lovers, I am back with a second short story to cheer you up and hopefully add something to your knowledge :)

This post is not about the wars or difficulties Constantine had been through to become the one and only Augustus of the Roman empire. Yet, it is about his significant reform of adopting Christianity as the new religion of the empire and how it was integrated with Byzantion.

Constantinople became magical thanks to the attempts of Constantine the Great. An only child who was the son of an army officer, Flavius Valerius Constantius, and a humble woman called Helena. There is no document indicating the date of birth of Constantine accurately. However, it is a well-known fact that he was born on 27th February, circa 280 CE in Naissus, Dacia (current Serbia). His father was given the title of Cesar in 293, thereby, he became one of the members of the tetrarchy and was sent to serve under emperor Maximian in the west. A few years later, Constantine was brought up at the court of eastern Cesar, Diocletian, at Nicomedia (modern Izmit, Turkey) after the separation of his parents.

Finally, he was allowed to enter the system of tetrarchy and defeat his rivals, one after another until his battle with Maximian which took place on Milvian Bridge at Rome in 312. This is where all begins, a moment of morality and flourishment, where a new notion was born to change the destiny and also the history of the Roman empire.

Various legends tell a story of Constantine and how he marked a sign of Christ on the shields of his soldiers before starting the battle against Maximian. There is one account written by Eusebius of Caesarea, mentioning the vision of Constantine about a cross-shaped trophy formed from light in the sky at midday, and bearing the inscription,” by this symbol you will conquer”. The legend goes on with a dream he had the same night, where Christ appears with the same sign of the sky and urges him to make himself a copy of that and to use it as a protection against his enemy.

As mentioned in his dream, Constantine defeated his last rival in the west and entered Rome to perform an adventus, a ceremonial entrance to the city. However, after reaching the walls of Rome, he refused to carry out the customary sacrifices and also ignored the altars to the gods. Instead, he directly headed to the imperial palace and perpetuated this moment forever.

After having conquered the west, in 313, in tandem with Licinius (ruler of the east), they announced their approval over Christianity, granting tolerance towards Christians and put an end to the persecution of Christians. By the edict of Milan, the confiscated lands of Christians and church property was returned to people.

Later on, after beating Licinius and becoming the only ruler of the empire, Constantine took over the role of patron of the Christian faith. It was the turn of Christianity to be like a leading light on the stage and look after the Roman empire. Consequently, Constantine supported the church financially, endowed an uncertain number of basilicas to Constantinople, granted privileges to clergy, and also promoted Christians to high-ranking offices.

In the meantime, while he was building his capital as the New Rome on Bosphorus, the city absorbed Christian architecture. Moreover, the construction of new pagan temples was banned and people who had not converted to Christianity were obligated to pay for building projects of him. By doing this, Constantine attempted to make them accustomed to the changes. Therefore, they gave up their pagan rites and temples due to the lack of support from the empire.

Despite all the new reforms of Constantine, Constantinople maintained some parts of Roman culture and lifestyle, mostly associated with entertainment and art. For instance, the Mese, the main thoroughfare of the city, was filled with Roman statues of the imperial family and the early Byzantine mosaics of the Great Palace were depicted with hunting scenes and Pagan figures such as the head of Oceanus. Furthermore, Constantine undertook the renovation of the Hippodrome, a circus that was the center of sporting and social events in the city. He decorated the old Hippodrome of Septimius Severus with statues of gods, heroes, animals, and columns to attract the new citizens of Constantinople and entertain them with horse racing and chariot contests.

Regarding the Roman traditions, Sunday was a sacred day for all citizens. A day to take a break and worship the Roman sun God Sol Invictus while for early Christians there was no such thing. Therefore, Constantine declared it as a day of rest, that people were requested to stay home, and markets and public offices banned to close. However, there were no restrictions on farming work, which was crucial to stay active all days.

So, Constantinople was about to become a megapolis, embracing Christianity in its arms alongside the Roman culture which was entrenched in society. Soon after, the city was filled with golden domes and huge icons of saints and martyrs protecting the Byzantine empire. While the city consisted of a Roman bath (Zeuxippos), Augustaion (a ceremonial square), and fori (markets) right in its heart. There was no such city not only in the Medieval world but also in the world. A city that was surrounded by Golden Horn, Bosphorus, and the Marmara Sea, capable of make foreigners and travelers fall in love with its captivating churches and palaces.

As the last word, Constantine’s reasons for favoring Christianity remain uncertain, and also the form of early Christianity which he subscribed to is unknown. But what is clear is the acceptance of Christianity in the Roman empire or better to say Byzantine empire and its significant impact on the government, architecture, art, and more importantly the city of Constantinople.

I believe Constantine chose Christianity because he was convinced that he needed a different notion than paganism to take over the Roman empire. So, what was better than Christianity as the church went through unimaginable persecution from the empire throughout its first three centuries. It was an extraordinary turn of events when the Roman empire himself became a Christian.