Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross September 14

⛪ The Feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross is one of the Great Feasts of the Greek Orthodox Church and honors the finding of the True Cross of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in 326 AD, by Saint Helen, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine.

According to tradition, Saint Helen traveled to Jerusalem and was guided by a vision to a place where she found three crosses buried beneath a pagan temple. To determine which cross was the True Cross, Saint Helen had each cross touched to a sick woman. The woman was healed when she was touched by the True Cross, and it was thus identified. This cross was brought to Jerusalem and enshrined in a church built on the site of Golgotha, the place where Christ was crucified.

Image: The icon depicts Patriarch Macarius holding the cross with deacons holding candles. The cross is surrounded by clergy and others, including Saint Helen.