Baptism and Death of Emperor Constantine the Great (AD 337)

Just before Constantine the Great’s death, Arian bishop Eusebius baptized him in his Hereke villa in Nicomedia on May 22, 337.

One of the myths propagated by the Roman Catholic Church is that Pope Sylvester (314-335) actually performed this baptism; hanging in the Vatican’s Hall of Constantine today is the painting “The Baptism of Constantine,” by the assistants of renowned artist Raphael. Painted between 1517 and 1524, it falsely shows Constantine kneeling down to be baptized by Pope Sylvester. By displaying this picture in its Baptistery of Saint John Lateran, the Vatican continues to present a false understanding of early church history.