Feast Day - The Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14th)
Channel: House of Prayers for Everyone (HOPE)
Date: 2023-09-13

Every September 14th, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates The Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross celebrates three (3) historical events. 

The Finding of the True Cross

Numerous historical accounts and legends suggest that Saint Helena, the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, recovered the True Cross at the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem when she traveled to the Holy Land in the years 326–328. 

Fourth-century historians Gelasius of Caesarea and Tyrannius Rufinus wrote that while Helena was there, she discovered the hiding place of three crosses believed to have been used at the crucifixion of Jesus and the two thieves, Dismas and Gestas, who were executed with him. 

To one cross was affixed the titulus bearing Jesus' name, but according to Rufinus, Helena was unsure of its legitimacy. 

Bishop Macarius of Jerusalem had a woman who was near death brought from the city. The woman touched the first and second crosses, her condition did not change, but when she touched the third and final cross she suddenly recovered and Helena declared the cross with which the woman had been touched to be the True Cross.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre

The siege of Jerusalem in the year 70, during the First Jewish–Roman War, reduced the city to ruins. In 130 AD, the Roman Emperor Hadrian built a Roman colony on the site. In 135 AD, Hadrian built a temple dedicated to Jupiter or Venus.

In 312 AD, Constantine had a vision of a cross in the sky. He then sent his mother, Helena, to Jerusalem to look for Christ's tomb. Three crosses were found near a tomb; one which allegedly cured people of death was presumed to be the True Cross Jesus was crucified on, leading the Romans to believe that they had found Calvary, where the Roman temple of Jupiter/Venus stands.

Constantine ordered that the Roman temple be removed and replaced by a shrine. The Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre was built as separate constructs over two holy sites: a rotunda called the Anastasis (also known as 'Resurrection'), where Helena and Macarius believed Jesus to have been buried, and; the great basilica (also known as Martyrium) across a courtyard to the east (an enclosed colonnaded atrium, known as the Triportico) with the traditional site of Calvary in one corner.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is considered to be the holiest site for Christians in the world, as it has been the most important pilgrimage site for Christianity since the 4th century.

The Restoration of the True Cross
 
The Sasanian conquest of Jerusalem occurred after a brief siege of the city by the Sasanian military in the year 614. It is said that some 20,000–26,000 Jewish rebels joined the war against the Byzantine Empire. The joint Jewish–Sasanian force later captured Jerusalem.

According to Sebeos, the siege resulted in a total Christian death toll of 17,000. In addition, around 35,000 people have been deported to be sold into slavery. The city is said to have been burnt down; miraculously, the True Cross was found and carried off to Ctesiphon.

In 628, Sasanian King Kavadh II made peace with Heraclius, giving Palaestina Prima and the True Cross back to the Byzantines. The conquered city and the Holy Cross would remain in Sasanian hands until they were returned by Shahrbaraz. Shahrbaraz and his son Niketas, who converted to Christianity, would control Jerusalem until at least the late summer of 629. On March 21, 630 Heraclius marched in triumph into Jerusalem with the True Cross.

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Images attributed to the following:
- By Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano - http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/artwork.php?artworkid=22379&amp;size=large, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
- By I, Ondřej Žváček, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- By AVRAM GRAICER - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons