January
21
/ 2023
In 326 AD the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine set out on a legendary pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Dubbed the world’s “first archaeologist,” Saint Helena was posthumously credited with unearthing fragments of the True Cross. While archaeologists tend to rely on surveys, excavations, and dating methods, Saint Helena managed this feat armed with her Bible, hearsay and, of course, signs sent by God. Saint Helena’s pilgrimage is part of the complex history of Christianity. As the Roman Empire fell into decline, it was being undermined by a relatively new, and forbidden, religion known as Christianity. Refusing to worship Rome’s pagan gods or accept its emperor as divine, Christians were severely persecuted. Remembered as the first Christian emperor, Constantine
