Constantine the Great

The work & its setting

Petrides was commissioned to create a presentation piece for the apostolic visit of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the United States. The gold work pictured here is held by the Patriarchate in Istanbul. The subject carries deep resonance: the Patriarchate is in present-day Istanbul, historic Constantinople, which Constantine refounded from ancient Byzantion and inaugurated as an imperial capital in AD 330.

The Patriarchate subsequently commissioned a second, larger version fabricated in recycled PETG, consistent with the longstanding environmental advocacy of His All-Holiness.

Year

2025

Height

28 cm

Max. width

34 cm

Material

24K double-leaf gold over a hand-worked resin body

Reference PPS·I.06 · Public access varies by institution.