Veroli Foundation

In the Vatican Museums you can find two extraordinary imperial sarcophagi made of purple porphyry — the resting places of Helena and Constantina, members of the family of Emperor Constantine the Great.

Porphyry was the most prestigious stone in the Roman Empire. Its deep purple color symbolized imperial power, and the stone came from a single quarry in Egypt controlled directly by the emperor. Because of this, porphyry was reserved almost exclusively for the imperial family — even emperors themselves.

Helena, the mother of Constantine, and Constantina, his daughter, were originally buried in monumental mausoleums in Rome. Their sarcophagi were carved from massive blocks of this rare stone, decorated with reliefs showing imperial imagery and military triumphs.

But why are they now in the Vatican Museums and not in Constantinople, the capital founded by Constantine?

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire and centuries of changes in Rome, the tombs were moved for protection and preservation. Eventually, the sarcophagi became part of the papal collections and today they are displayed in the Vatican Museums, where visitors can admire one of the most powerful symbols of Roman imperial authority carved in stone.

A reminder that in the Roman world, even the material of a coffin could proclaim: this person belonged to the imperial dynasty.