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workmen and all things that are necessary for the build"ing they might learn from your sagacity, "to be sent at once through their care. Concerning the "pillars or marbles, whatever you might consider to be more precious and "more useful, after you have yourself inspected the site, take "care to write to us, so that from your letter we may "learn how many and what kind are needed, that these things may be brought from all quarters; for it is right that the "world's most wonderful place be worthily adorned. "As for the vault of the basilica, whether you think it should be a paneled ceiling or by some "other workmanship, I wish to learn from you (for if "it is to be a paneled ceiling, it will be possible for the "rest to be beautified with gold), so that your Holiness may as quickly as possible have it "made known to the aforementioned judges how many workmen and artisans and what expen"ses are needed; and be sure to report these things to me at once, not only "about the marbles and pillars, but also about the paneled "ceilings, if indeed you should judge this to be more beautiful. May God keep you, "beloved brother." No one else delivered these letters but the emperor's mother herself, that mother of fair children and praised by all the pious, she who bore this great luminary and brought him the nourishment of piety. She it was who endured the 64 toils of the journey, taking no account of the afflictions of old age. For a little before her death she undertook this journey, and she reached the end of her life as an octogenarian. And when she saw that place which had received the passion of our common salvation, she at once ordered that abominable temple to be demolished and the soil to be carried away. When the hidden tomb had been revealed, three crosses were seen buried near the Lord's sepulchre. And that one of these was that of our Lord and Savior, and the others those of the thieves crucified with Him, all believed without a doubt; yet they did not know which one had touched the Lord's body and received the stream of His precious blood. But that most wise and truly divine Macarius, the president of the city, solved the difficulty by the following means. For to a noble woman, afflicted by a long-standing disease, he brought each of those crosses with earnest prayer, and so discovered the power of the Savior's cross. For as soon as this one approached the woman, it drove out that grievous disease and made the woman well. Thus indeed the emperor's mother, having discovered what she longed for, put some of the nails into the imperial helmet, taking care for her son's head, that it might ward off the enemies' darts; others she mixed into his horse's bridle, both contriving safety for the emperor and fulfilling an ancient prophecy. For from of old Zachariah the prophet had cried: " and that which is on the bridle 65 shall be holy to the Lord Almighty ". Of the Savior's cross she gave a portion to the palace, and for the rest, having made a case of silver, she gave it to the bishop of the city, charging him to guard for future generations the memorials of salvation. And having gathered from every quarter artisans skilled in every material, she built those greatest and most splendid temples. But to describe their beauty and size I have deemed quite superfluous, since nearly all lovers of God, so to speak, run there and behold the magnificence of the works. And that all-praised and admirable queen also did another thing worthy of memory. For having gathered together all those who practiced virginity for life, and having made them recline on many couches, she herself performed the work of a handmaid, serving and setting food before them and offering cups and pouring wine and carrying a ewer over a basin and pouring water on their hands. Having done these and similar things, she returned to her son, and with cheerfulness passed on to the other life, having given her son many instructions concerning the pious government and having overwhelmed him with parting blessings.

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ἐργάτας καὶ πάντα ὅσα περὶ τὴν οἰκο "δομὴν ἀναγκαῖα τυγχάνειν παρὰ τῆς σῆς καταμάθοιεν ἀγχινοίας, "παραχρῆμα διὰ τῆς ἐκείνων προνοίας ἀποσταλῆναι. περὶ δὲ τῶν "κιόνων εἴτ' οὖν μαρμάρων, ἃ δἂν νομίσειας εἶναι τιμιώτερά τε καὶ "χρησιμώτερα, αὐτὸς συνόψεως γενομένης πρὸς ἡμᾶς γράψαι σπούδα "σον, ἵν' ὅσων δἂν καὶ ὁποίων χρείαν εἶναι διὰ τοῦ σοῦ γράμματος "ἐπιγνῶμεν, ταῦτα πανταχόθεν μετενεχθῆναι δυνηθῇ· τὸν γὰρ τοῦ "κόσμου θαυμασιώτερον τόπον κατ' ἀξίαν φαιδρύνεσθαι δίκαιον. "Τὴν δὲ τῆς βασιλικῆς καμάραν, πότερον λακωναρίαν ἢ διά τινος "ἑτέρας ἐργασίας γενέσθαι δοκεῖ, παρὰ σοῦ γνῶναι βούλομαι (εἰ γὰρ "λακωναρία μέλλοι εἶναι, δυνήσεται καὶ χρυσῷ καλλωπισθῆναι τὸ "λειπόμενον), ἵνα ἡ σὴ ὁσιότης τοῖς προειρημένοις δικασταῖς ᾗ τάχος "γνωρισθῆναι ποιήσῃ ὅσων τε καὶ ἐργατῶν καὶ τεχνιτῶν καὶ ἀναλω "μάτων χρεία· ἃ καὶ πρὸς ἐμὲ εὐθέως ἀνενεγκεῖν σπούδασον, οὐ μόνον "περὶ τῶν μαρμάρων τε καὶ κιόνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῶν λακω "ναριῶν, εἴ γε τοῦτο κάλλιον ἐπικρίνειας. ὁ θεός σε διαφυλάξει, "ἀδελφὲ ἀγαπητέ." Τούτοις τοῖς γράμμασιν οὐκ ἄλλος τις διηκόνησεν ἀλλ' αὐτὴ τοῦ βασιλέως ἡ μήτηρ, ἡ καλλίπαις ἐκείνη καὶ παρὰ πάντων ᾀδομένη τῶν εὐσεβῶν, ἡ τὸν μέγαν τοῦτον φωστῆρα τεκοῦσα καὶ τὴν τῆς εὐσεβείας αὐτῷ προσενεγκοῦσα τροφήν, αὕτη τῶν τῆς ὁδοιπορίας 64 πόνων ἀνασχομένη καὶ τοῦ γήρως οὐ λογισαμένη τὰ πάθη· πρὸ γὰρ ὀλίγου τῆς τελευτῆς τὴν ἀποδημίαν ταύτην ἐστείλατο, ὀγδοηκον τοῦτις δὲ τὸ τέρμα τοῦ βίου κατείληφεν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ χωρίον εἶδεν ἐκεῖνο τὸ τῆς κοινῆς σωτηρίας τὰ πάθη δεξάμενον, εὐθὺς μὲν τὸν μυσαρὸν ἐκεῖνον νεὼν καταλυθῆναι καὶ τὸν χοῦν ἐκφορηθῆναι προσ έταξε. δήλου δὲ τοῦ κεκρυμμένου τάφου γεγενημένου, ὤφθησαν τρεῖς παρὰ τὸ μνῆμα τὸ δεσποτικὸν κατακεχωσμένοι σταυροί. καὶ ὅτι μὲν εἷς ἐκ τούτων ὁ τοῦ δεσπότου καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐτύγχανεν ὤν, οἱ δ' ἕτεροι τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ προσηλωθέντων λῃστῶν, ἀναμφι σβητήτως ἐπίστευον ἅπαντες· ἠγνόουν δὲ ὅμως τὸν τῷ δεσποτικῷ πελάσαντα σώματι καὶ τοῦ τιμίου αἵματος τὴν λιβάδα δεξάμενον. ἀλλ' ὁ σοφώτατος ἐκεῖνος καὶ θεῖος ὄντως Μακάριος ὁ τῆς πόλεως πρόεδρος τοιῷδε πόρῳ τὴν ἀπορίαν διέλυσε. γυναικὶ γὰρ περιφανεῖ, νόσῳ κατεχομένῃ μακρᾷ, ἕκαστον τῶν σταυρῶν ἐκείνων μετὰ προσ ευχῆς σπουδαίας προσενεγκὼν ἔγνω τοῦ σωτηρίου σταυροῦ τὴν δύναμιν. παραυτίκα γὰρ οὗτος τῷ γυναίῳ πελάσας τὴν χαλεπὴν ἐκείνην ἐξ ήλασε νόσον καὶ τὴν ἄνθρωπον ἀπέφηνεν ὑγιᾶ. Οὕτω δὴ τοῦ βασιλέως ἡ μήτηρ μαθοῦσα τὸ ποθούμενον, τῶν μὲν ἥλων τὰ μὲν εἰς τὸ βασιλικὸν ἐνέβαλε κράνος, τῆς τοῦ παιδὸς κεφαλῆς προμηθουμένη, ἵνα τὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἀποκρούηται βέλη· τὰ δὲ τῷ τοῦ ἵππου ἀνέμιξε χαλινῷ, καὶ ἀσφάλειαν μηχανωμένη τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ παλαιᾷ προφητείᾳ πέρας ἐπιτιθεῖσα. πόρρωθεν γὰρ Ζαχαρίας ὁ προφήτης ἐβόα· " καὶ ἔσται τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ χαλινοῦ 65 ἅγιον τῷ κυρίῳ παντοκράτορι ". τοῦ δὲ σωτηρίου σταυροῦ μοῖραν μέν τινα τοῖς βασιλείοις ἀπένειμε, τῷ δὲ λοιπῷ θήκην ἐξ ὕλης ἀργύρου ποιησαμένη τῷ τῆς πόλεως δέδωκεν ἐπισκόπῳ, φυλάτ τειν παρεγγυήσασα ταῖς ἔπειτα γενεαῖς τὰ τῆς σωτηρίας μνημόσυνα. πάντοθεν δὲ δὴ παντοδαπῆς ὕλης τεχνίτας ἀγείρασα τοὺς μεγίστους ἐκείνους καὶ λαμπροτάτους νεὼς ἐδομήσατο. τὸ δὲ τούτων κάλλος καὶ μέγεθος ἐκφράσαι περιττὸν ἄγαν ὑπείληφα, πάντων ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν τῶν φιλοθέων ἐκεῖσε θεόντων καὶ θεωμένων τῶν ἔργων τὴν πολυτέλειαν. Πεποίηκε δὲ καὶ ἕτερον μνήμης ἄξιον ἡ πανεύφημος ἐκείνη καὶ ἀξιάγαστος βασιλίς. τὰς γὰρ διὰ βίου τὴν παρθενίαν ἀσκούσας συνα γείρασα πάσας καὶ ἐπὶ στιβάδων πολλῶν κατακλίνασα, αὐτὴ θερα παινίδος ἔργον ἐπλήρου, διακονοῦσα καὶ ὄψα παρατιθεῖσα καὶ κύ λικας ὀρέγουσα καὶ οἰνοχοοῦσα καὶ πρόχουν ἐπὶ λέβητος φέρουσα καὶ ὕδωρ ταῖς ἐκείνων χερσὶν ἐπιχέουσα. ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τούτοις ὅμοια δράσασα ἐπανῆλθε μὲν πρὸς τὸν παῖδα, μετ' εὐθυμίας δὲ εἰς τὸν ἕτερον μετέστη βίον, πλεῖστα τῷ παιδὶ περὶ τῆς εὐσεβοῦς πολιτείας ἐντειλαμένη καὶ ταῖς ἐξιτηρίοις αὐτὸν ἐπικλύσασα εὐλογίαις.