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>> it was illegal. by penalty of death to be a christian. after that, you were free. >> constantine legalizes christianity throughout the empire. 14 years later, his mother is on her way to the holy land. >> i think that she was sent by the emperor constantine. he felt that the cross was very important, and he wanted to send her there to do something special. >> there is potentially a darker side to helena's journey. it follows on from a scandalous episode within the house of constantine.

Here openly and publicly to remember this important part of their faith. >> for a religion that had been illegal for over 200 years it is a defining moment. >> she makes the holy land holy. the churches she built were ways of literally cementing in the ground christianity in the holy land. >> it reinstates it as the place where people want to go and remember jesus' passion. >> arguably helena and constantine's biggest contribution to jerusalem was this, set to be built on the site where jesus was executed, but did they get the location right?

Constantine discovers that his son crispus, his favorite son, has been having an affair with his second wife fausta. >> what we are told by the sources we have is that on the orders of his father, he is sent to a place on the coast of croatia. and he is put to death by poison. >> helena was crushed by this scandal. this was likely her favorite

>> constantine abandoned his first wife to marry the noble woman fausta. fausta has given him three young sons. but her husband's likely successor is his eldest son crispus. >> he was the golden boy. he had a successful military career. he had been made cesar by his father. >> on the face of it, the christian family at the center of the roman empire are united. but a scandal is about to erupt. >> christian sources tend to hush-hush about it. they don't want to say anything. but the pagan sources jump all over constantine. >> the story goes that