Today we celebrate the finding of the Holy and Precious Cross of Christ by the Holy Empress Saint Helen. In 326AD, Empress Helen, the mother of Saint Constantine the Great, journeyed to Jerusalem in order to rebuild the city and to erect churches on the sites associated with the life and passion of Jesus Christ. As part of her journey, she wished to find the Holy Cross on which our Lord was crucified. Having inquired with many people, her search lead her nowhere. She happened to come across an elderly Hebrew man who told her that the Cross was buried beneath the pagan temple of Venus, according to tradition. The Empress ordered the destruction of this pagan temple and found a patch of sweet smelling basil. She and her men began to dig at once and found three crosses. To find which was the True Cross of Christ, the Patriarch Macarius ordered that the dead man from the funeral procession passing by be laid on each of the crosses. As soon as he was laid on the Cross of Christ, the dead man was restored to life. Thus, the people came to believe that this was indeed the True Cross and glorified God. With great joy, the Empress and Patriarch exulted the Cross on high for all to see and to venerate. May the Holy, Precious, and Life-giving Cross save us by its grace + #cross #jesus #jesuschrist #christ #holycross #crucifixion #empress #helen #empresshelen #sainthelen #saint #patriarch #macarius #venerate #venerable #basil #constantine #constantinethegrear #emperor #jerusalem #holylands #holyland #orthodox #sophia