194 Constantine I the Great
of his enemies. Soon after his defeat of Licinius, he
embarked on the construction of a new capital away from
Rome and closer to the center of the wealth of the
empire. He settled on Byzantium, an old Greek city sur-
rounded on three sides by water and on the passageway
between the Mediterranean and Black Seas. It was his city,
CONSTANTINOPLE.
THEOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONSFor Constantine, order, discipline, and hierarchy were
necessary and more important than theological discus-
sion or definitions. He intervened in the theological
conflict between the bishop of Alexandria, ATHANASIUS,
and the priest ARIUS by convening the Council of
NICAEAin 325. The council included bishops from all
over the empire and was presided over by Constantine,
who even intervened in the discussions. It condemned
the heretical doctrine of Arius and adopted an official
creed drafted by Athanasius. However, Constantine
tolerated Arians after seeing that their ideas had some
support among the bishops. Under the influence of
Helena, his mother, he supported the building of a
church on the supposed site of the tomb of Christ, the
Church of the HOLYSEPULCHER, in JERUSALEM. He also
built the old basilica of Saint Peter’s in Rome and other
churches in ANTIOCHand PALESTINE. He later spon-
sored the Christian idea of Sunday as a day of rest and
peace and confiscated some of the treasuries of pagan
temples.ADMINISTRATIVE AND SOCIAL REFORMS
After reorganizing the army in 326, he made profes-
sions, offices, and trades hereditary, assuming this
capacity would ensure the functioning of institutions
and economic activity. He legislated that free peasants
and serfs now be tied to the soil and under the control
of the owners of large estates. This stemmed migration,
provided food for the army, and produced local labor
to repair roads and bridges. Recently accepting baptism,
he died on May 22, 337, and was buried among the
monuments in his new church of the Twelve Apostles in
Constantinople.NUMIDIA