The Helmet of Constantine was a form of helmet worn by the Roman Emperor

Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

, now lost, which featured in his imperial

iconography Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...

. According to a story recorded by

Ambrose Ambrose of Milan ( la, Aurelius Ambrosius; ), venerated as Saint Ambrose, ; lmo, Sant Ambroeus . was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promo ...

and others, it included

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

s gathered in the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

by his mother, Empress Helena. Constantine's conversion to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

, which happened around AD 300, was of great importance. In this period it was believed that touching the body of the deceased or even something that came in contact with the person who had died was said to have special powers.''A Dictionary of Christian Antiquities''. This belief started a movement to find these

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

to protect churches, cities, and even people.

History

At the time, Constantine I was thought to be protected due to the relic in his possession. The helmet that he wore was said to have a piece of the

True Cross The True Cross is the cross upon which Jesus was said to have been crucified, particularly as an object of religious veneration. There are no early accounts that the apostles or early Christians preserved the physical cross themselves, althoug ...

that

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

was crucified on. After Constantine was made

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caes ...

, he issued the

Edict of Milan The Edict of Milan ( la, Edictum Mediolanense; el, Διάταγμα τῶν Μεδιολάνων, ''Diatagma tōn Mediolanōn'') was the February 313 AD agreement to treat Christians benevolently within the Roman Empire. Frend, W. H. C. ( ...

(313), sending his mother Helena to find the True Cross and to send back what she found. Helena found the cross and sent three nails that were used in the crucifixion of Jesus back to Rome and her son Constantine. The helmet that Constantine wore included one of the

Holy Nails Relics that are claimed to be the Holy Nails with which Jesus was crucified are objects of veneration among some Christians, particularly Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox. In Christian symbolism and art, they figure among the ''Arma ...

that Saint Helena found at the crucifixion site. By making the helmet with one of the nails, it was supposed to protect him from any harm. Not only was it a sign of protection, but it was also said to fulfil the prophecy of Zechariah. The prophecy located in the fourteenth chapter of the

Book of Zechariah The Book of Zechariah, attributed to the Hebrew prophet Zechariah, is included in the Twelve Minor Prophets in the Hebrew Bible. Historical context Zechariah's prophecies took place during the reign of Darius the Great and were contempora ...

said that one would come who engraved “Holiness to the Lord” on both the bells of the horses and headpiece of the man. At this time, the Roman emperor had the holiest relics known to man. A rare silver

medallion A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

dated 315 AD shows Constantine with a

chi-rho The Chi Rho (☧, English pronunciation ; also known as ''chrismon'') is one of the earliest forms of Christogram, formed by superimposing the first two (capital) letters—chi (letter), chi and rho (ΧΡ)—of the Greek word (Christ (title), ...

symbol as the crest of his helmet, and

Eusebius Eusebius of Caesarea (; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος ; 260/265 – 30 May 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilus (from the grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος τοῦ Παμφίλου), was a Greek historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian ...

' ''

Life of Constantine ''Life of Constantine the Great'' ( grc-gre, Βίος Μεγάλου Κωνσταντίνου; la, Vita Constantini) is a panegyric written in Greek in honor of Constantine the Great by Eusebius of Caesarea in the 4th century AD. It was never co ...

'' records that he often wore such a helmet in later life, although it is not visible in other bronze coins.Constantine the Great coins
thesis, pp. 11-12 Constantine was very aware of this, and let the entire

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

know that he was the owner of this holy helmet. The emperor had coins made with the image of him wearing his helmet on the front. On every VLLP coin that was made, Constantine was shown wearing his helmet. This was one way that Constantine moved the Roman Empire away from the

pagan religion Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. I ...

and towards

. The coins that were made after Constantine acquired his helmet showed that the nail was not the only thing that made his helmet religious. Constantine also had the

Christogram A Christogram ( la, Monogramma Christi) is a monogram or combination of letters that forms an abbreviation for the name of Jesus Christ, traditionally used as a Christian symbolism, religious symbol within the Christian Church. One of the oldes ...

inscribed on the helmet. There were also a few religious symbols that were placed on the helmet. The Christogram was placed on the helmet, which usually represented the cross, but at times it was interpreted as Jesus

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

himself. Another one of these symbols was a

labarum The labarum ( el, λάβαρον) was a ''vexillum'' (military standard) that displayed the "Chi-Rho" symbol ☧, a christogram formed from the first two Greek letters of the word "Christ" ( el, ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ, or Χριστός) – ''Chi'' (χ ...

piercing a

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

, a

serpent Serpent or The Serpent may refer to: * Snake, a carnivorous reptile of the suborder Serpentes Mythology and religion * Sea serpent, a monstrous ocean creature * Serpent (symbolism), the snake in religious rites and mythological contexts * Serp ...

. This was significant because the serpent was represented as the

Devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...

. But it was also the symbol for any enemy that the Roman Empire had. Constantine's helmet stood for the strength that the

had through military force, and God. The helmet was put on the coins to let everyone know of this.Constantine the Great coins
/ref> Constantine's helmet was mainly a crown that was fastened to the head by two clamps. The majority of the helmet was made out of iron and gold. Constantine thought having the chi-roh symbol on the helmet would give him added protection to that of the relic that was already in the helmet.

Andreas Alföldi András (Andreas) Ede Zsigmond Alföldi (27 August 1895 – 12 February 1981) was a Hungarian historian, art historian, epigraphist, numismatist and archaeologist, specializing in the Late Antique period. He was one of the most productive 20th-c ...

, ''The Helmet of Constantine With the Christian Monogram''. The crown that was made with the nail was placed around a full helmet when the Emperor went into battle, but could easily be taken off. It was called a helmet; however, he wore it. This is because of the two clamps that held it in place. If these two clamps were not on the original crown it would not be called a helmet at all.

References

{{reflist Ancient Roman helmets Constantine the Great Dragons in art Individual helmets Lost objects Relics associated with Jesus Cultural depictions of Constantine the Great

History

See also

References