Feast Day: August 16th
The Life of Saint Constantine: “Behold, all my fortunes and all I had, I have lost! Let us not lose our Souls. Be brave and manly, my beloved! Ignore death. Look at how much Christ, Our Saviour, has endured for us and with what shameful death He died. Firmly believe in this and do not be shaken, nor leave your Faith for this life and this world.”…
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Prayers
Saint Constantine, Saint Constantine, Saint Stephen, Saint Radu, Saint Matthew and Saint Ianache Pray to God for us.
Constantine was Prince of the Romanian Land (Wallachia)
Constantine and his wife Marica had seven daughters and four sons.
and advisor Ianache Vacarescu
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After all of his fortune had been seized, in exchange for the life of his family he was asked to renounce the Orthodox Christian Faith. He reportedly said:
“Behold, all my fortunes and all I had, I have lost! Let us not lose our Souls. Be brave and manly, my beloved! Ignore death. Look at how much Christ, Our Saviour, has endured for us and with what shameful death He died. Firmly believe in this and do not be shaken, nor leave your Faith for this life and this world.”
After this, his four sons, Constantine, Ştefan, Radu and Matei and advisor Ianache were beheaded in front of their father.
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The smallest child, Matei (12 years old), was so frightened after seeing the bloodbath and the heads of his three brothers that he started crying and asking his father to let him renounce Christianity and convert to Islam as the Sultan Ahmed III had demanded. At that moment, Constantine Brancoveanu said:
“Of our kind none have lost their faith. It is better to die a thousand times than to leave your ancient faith just to live few hore years on earth.”
Matei listened and offered his head.
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Saint Constantine’s wife Marica brought his Holy Relics back to Bucharest and placed them in the Church of Saint George the New, which he had founded.
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