subject: The True Cross [print this page] Holy Cross Day Holy Cross Day
Holy Cross Day on the 14th is one of the two major festivals in September. This festival has an interesting history. S. Helena was the mother of the Emperor Constantine who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. In 325 AD, when she was 80 years of age, Helena made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in order to search out some of the important sites connected with the life of Jesus. She believed that she had located the place of Jesus' crucifixion and also the tomb in which his body had been laid and from which the resurrection had taken place. At the place of crucifixion she discovered wood from the cross. Hence she is normally depicted as holding on to a cross. Helena and Constantine then arranged for the building of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the site. It was dedicated some ten years later, with a part of the cross placed inside it in a silver casket.
In 614 theSassanidEmperorKhosrau II removed the part of the cross as a trophy, when hecaptured Jerusalem. Thirteen years later, in 628, theByzantineEmperorHeraclius regained the relic. He placed the cross in Constantinople at first, and took it back to Jerusalem in March 21, 630. Around 1009, Christians in Jerusalem hid part of the cross and it remained hidden until it was rediscovered during theFirst Crusade, on August 5, 1099, byArnulf Malecorne, the firstLatin Patriarch of Jerusalem, conveniently at a moment when a morale boost was needed. According to the historian Simon Harding there is an excellent account of this in Runciman's book on the First Crusade.
The relic that Arnulf discovered was a small fragment of wood embedded in a golden cross, and it became the most sacred relic of the LatinKingdom of Jerusalem. It was housed in theChurch of the Holy Sepulchreunder the protection of the Latin Patriarch, who marched with it ahead of the army before every battle. It was captured bySaladin during theBattle of Hattinin 1187 and subsequently disappeared. Both theByzantine emperor Isaac II AngelosandGeorgianqueenTamarsought to ransom it from Saladin without success. The date used for the festival commemorates the dedication of the church in 335 AD.. This original commemoration was a two-day festival. On the second day the relic itself was brought out of the building so that all present could pray before it. This custom continued for many years. The event was significant in the development of the use of the cross as a prime symbol of our faith. Before this other symbols, such as the sign of the fish, were more commonly used.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre still holds a special place in the hearts of Christians, although it appears that not too much of the original Byzantine structure remains. Many churches possess fragmentary remains that are by tradition alleged to be those of theTrue Cross. Their authenticity is not accepted universally by those of theChristian faithand the accuracy of the reports surrounding the discovery of theTrue Crossis questioned by some Christians. The acceptance and belief of that part of the tradition that pertains to theEarly Christian Churchis generally restricted to theCatholicand Orthodox Churches. The Medieval legends of its provenance differ between Catholic and Orthodox tradition. These churches honour Helena as a saint, as does also theAnglican Communion.
