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History of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross

St. Helena’s mission to excavate the True Cross

T Emperor Heraclius the Second restored it to its
he Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross is
celebrated on September 14th. It seems
rightful place in Jerusalem.
appropriate that the True Cross, the most
This gesture resulted in another traditional
recognized symbol of Jesus and the Church, is account that is quite moving. When Heraclius,
glorified by a feast of its own. carrying the True Cross on his back, tried to bring
The cross had been a sign of suffering, but it into the church on Mount Calvary, he could not
by the passion and death of Jesus Christ and His do so. There seemed to be a strange force keeping
subsequent resurrection, it became a glorious him out of the church.
symbol of triumph over death, the ultimate sign The Patriarch of Jerusalem, seeing his
of God’s love for His Church. difficulty, suggested that he take off his royal
garb and enter as a poor pilgrim. When Heraclius
The Story behind the Feast did this he had no problem entering the church.
St. Helena was the mother of the Holy Roman
Emperor Constantine. (It was Constantine who The Instrument of Salvation
legalized Christianity and allowed for freedom of The reason for the celebration of the True
worship throughout the empire.) Cross on which Jesus was crucified is self-evident
Towards the final years of her life, St. Helena to those who know its significance. The cross of
decided to make the journey to Jerusalem to find Jesus Christ is THE INSTRUMENT OF OUR
the True Cross. She had the pagan temples which SALVATION. It is a universal image of the
had been built over the burial place of Jesus razed, Christian faith. Cont’d.
and tradition has it that the Holy Sepulchre was
discovered. The wooden cross on which Jesus was
crucified was found nearby along with the crosses
of the two thieves who were crucified with Him.
The challenge then was to determine which of the
three crosses was the True Cross.
Tradition holds that the method used was to
transport the three crosses to a woman near death.
When she touched the True Cross, she was
healed. To celebrate this profound discovery,
Emperor Constantine had churches built at the site
of the Holy Sepulchre and on Mount Calvary.
This led to the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy
Cross being celebrated in Jerusalem. The practice
slowly developed until it finally emerged as a
universal feast.

The Removal of the True Cross to Persia Finding of the True Cross 1452-66
When the Persians conquered Jerusalem in Piero Della Francesca
the early years of the seventh century, the True Fresco
Cross was taken to Persia. It remained there until San Francesco, Arezzo

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