The True Cross

In order to eradicate the influence of Christianity, the Roman Emperor Hadrian (reign A.D. 117-38) leveled the top of Mount Calvary and erected a temple to the pagan goddess Venus. He also cut away and leveled the hillside where Jesus' tomb stood and built a temple to the pagan god Jupiter Capitolinus. Ironically, this destruction actually preserved the sacred sites.

Emperor Constantine seized power in the year 312, and in the following year, legalized Christianity. Eusebius, Constantine’s biographer, quotes that Constantine and his forces saw a cross of light in the sky, along with the Greek words for “In this sign conquer.” The message was reinforced in Constantine that night, through a dream. The emperor, therefore, marked the Christian symbol of the cross on his soldiers’ shields and triumphed at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on October 28, A.D. 312. He attributed this victory to the god of the Christians. Further, Eusebius reports that Queen Helena, mother of Constantine, was converted to Christianity by her son. 

On September 14, 326, Queen Helena, found the True Cross in Jerusalem on which Jesus was crucified while visiting the holy places in Palestine. The legend of the discovery of the True Cross is that about the year 326, the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus was demolished, and the workers began to excavate the area. They discovered the remains of the tomb that was reported to be that of our Lord Jesus. They built a new shrine over the tomb, which has been modified over the centuries, but today stands in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The temple of Venus was also demolished, thereby exposing the site where Christ was crucified. Emperor Constantine himself wrote to St. Macarius, Bishop of Jerusalem, ordering him to make a search for the cross on Mount Calvary.

 St. Helena was guided to the site of the Crucifixion by an aged Jew named Judas, who had inherited traditional knowledge as to its location.  After the ground had been dug to a considerable depth, three crosses were found, as well as the superscription placed over the Savior’s head on the Cross, and the nails with which He had been crucified. It is believed that the true cross of Christ was ascertained when a sick woman was touched with one piece and was miraculously healed.