Constantine the Great was born in Niš (the assumed date of his birth is February 22, 274/280) in the Tetrarchic Period. After the death of his father Constantius Chlorus he was appointed emperor by his army in the year 307.
In the following years the Roman Empire was united, spanning the area from Britain to Asia Minor and from North Africa to the Ukraine.
The Edict of Milan, an important document from the year 313, gave Christianity, by then a banished sect, a status equal to other religions in the Roman Empire. The motive for the acceptance of Christianity was said to lie in Constantine’s belief that he had won all his important battles “with the sign of a cross”. It was noted down that on the eve of the battle with by far more powerful Maxentius, Constantine saw a shining cross in the sky, followed by the message "In hoc signo vinces" ("With this sing you shall win"). After that in his dream he saw the Lord himself carrying an identical sign.
With the Monogram of Christ on his helmet, and on his soldiers’ flags and shields, Emperor Constantine won many battles.
During Constantine’s reign, Niš became a significant town, a center of economy and the arts. Constantine visited Niš a few times, relaxing in the summer residence of Mediana and carrying out his duties of a statesman.
The Christian Church proclaimed Emperor Constantine and Empress Helen Christian saints.
He died on June 3 in the Nicomedia suburb called Ankira.
