Meduza (Near Niš / South-Eastern Serbia)
Detail of mosaics from floors of "The villa with peristyle" on Mediana archeological site, Niš.
Mediana was a Roman royal property with luxurious residence and highly organized economy, placed in the suburb of the antique Niš - Roman called Naissus.
Constantine the Great (280 - 337 AD) was born and raised in Naissus. His mother Helena was of humble origin, but his father Flavius Valerius Constantinus Hlorus, the founder of the dynasty, descended from Ilyricus. Constantine the Great ruled the Roman Empire from 306 to 337. He consolidated the frontiers of the Empire and imposed a firm organization on the Army and the civil administration. In the year 313, he issued the Milan Edict, thereby introducing Christianity as the official religion of the Empire. He moved his royal seat to the East, to Constantinople, in 330, thus laying the foundation for the new Byzantine Empire. As a powerful emperor, Constantine did not forget his birthplace. He erected a majestic residence in one of the luxurious suburbs of ancient Niš - Mediana, where he often resided and attended to state affairs. Historical records testify it was in Naissus that he passed several laws - in 315,319, 324, and 334.