Cross of Jesus

The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a Catholic Church tradition, are said to be from the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.

According to post-Nicene historians such as Socrates of Constantinople, the Empress St. Helena, mother of St. Constantine, the first Christian Emperor of Rome, travelled to the Holy Land in 326–28, founding churches and establishing relief agencies for the poor. Historians Gelasius of Caesarea and Rufinus claimed that she discovered the hiding place of three crosses that were believed to be used at the crucifixion of Jesus and of two thieves, St. Dismas and Gestas, executed with him, and that a miracle revealed which of the three was the True Cross.

Many churches possess fragmentary remains that are by tradition alleged to be those of the True Cross. Their authenticity is not accepted by all Christians. The reports surrounding the discovery of the True Cross are questioned by some Christians. The acceptance and belief of that part of the tradition that pertains to the early Christian Church is generally restricted to the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox churches and the Church of the East. The medieval legends that developed concerning its provenance differ between Catholic and Orthodox tradition. These churches honour Helena as a saint, as does also the Anglican Communion.

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