Arch of Constantine

If you dig through your world history or Christian history, one name would probably pop up. Constantine was emperor of the Roman Empire when he converted to Christianity. At that time, Christians were heavily persecuted and a lot of people were martyred because of this. One of the pillars of the early Christian church, Saints Peter and Paul were martyred because of the Roman persecution. Constantine was exposed to Christianity by his mother Saint Helena who is said to have found part of the true cross, and she is probably one of the main reasons why Constantine turned to Christianity. Upon his assumption of the throne, he announced that he was a Christian, put an end to Christian persecution and it allowed the Christian church to thrive.

Although he didn’t just support Christianity, Constantine’s policies were instrumental in freedom of religion in the empire. Christianity was probably the biggest beneficiary of this policy. After his death he was declared a saint just like his mother. Here in Rome, just a stone’s throw away from the Colosseum, there is an arch which was dedicated to Constantine. The Arch of Constantine is a beautiful piece of art, it isn’t very tall but the detail on the arch is something to behold. Art lovers would probably be more interested in the history of this arch as it marks a shift from the Greek style. At the time of my visit, half the arch was under renovation. If you look at it, the other half looks really old. No doubt that pollution is also taking its toll on the almost two thousand year old structure. There is a permanent fence around the arch so you can’t go under the arch.

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