St. Constantine the Great
Constantine holds the great distinction of having been the first Roman Emperor to adopt Christianity, bringing many changes to the world around him. One of the longest-lasting projects on which he embarked was to found the city of Constantinople, which he intended to be a new capital for his empire, which would be designed to be free of pagan temples and other influences.
Another, simpler reason for the construction of his new capital is that the Emperor simply did not like the city of Rome and its people. In his adoption of Christianity and other things, Constantine revealed the attitude of an upstart and a deep antipathy for the old, established patterns of power. Once he took over the entire Empire, he resented having to consult the Senators and equestrians of Rome for assistance. As a matter of fact, during one campaign against Persia, he summoned the Legio II Parthia from Rome, which did not arrive until several months after the battles had already been fought. When the commander, one Rancipus, was asked what had taken so long, he shrugged his shoulders and replied that Rome wasn't built in a day. His last words before Constantine struck him down were "When are we getting paid?"
Constantine, then, was determined to build his "new Rome" in as close to a day as possible. In order to accomplish this, he proposed a contest for architects and builders from across the Empire: whoever could build the most churches in a year would become the officially sanctioned church builder throughout the rest of Constantine's reign. In the year 329, the formerly sleepy town of Byzantium thundered with the sound of men and mules, carpenters and other craftsmen. By the time the year was over, the Emperor came to count the churches that had been erected. In terms of quantity, the resounding winner was one Ephas of Syria, whose crew had built four hundred seventy churches, even though they had stopped to rest every Sunday. The Emperor was impressed, and he prepared to make an inspection.
Upon Constantine's arrival in front of the first church, a fly circled him and landed on his nose, making it itch. He twitched and twitched before being overtaken by a powerful sneeze, and lo and behold, the rush of air was mighty enough to knock down the entire church. The Emperor surveyed the ruins in disappointment: the walls of the church had been assembled from papyrus and sealed with dabs of clay. He lashed out in anger, rushing from church to church and hacking him down with his sword. Ephas was put under arrest, and Constantine realized he would have to award the prize to a different builder.
He toured the city and began to look at the other churches with a critical eye. He found one that was beautiful but not yet finished, and he summoned the builder, who apologized for the delay, but insisted he wished to get the work right. The church was called Hagia Eirene, or Holy Peace, and Constantine resolved to bestow honor upon its builder, and to show more patience from them on.
