The death of Jesus marked a significant crisis for his disciples and loved ones. However, it was quickly followed by His Resurrection, turning the sorrow of the Christian community into joy. The witnesses of His resurrection were so overwhelmed with happiness that they began to forget about His death and the significance of the Cross. It is important to remember that it was the Roman government that sentenced Jesus to death, with the order given explicitly by Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor.
About 300 years later, however, the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great embraced Christianity through baptism. His mother, St. Helena, was a renowned saint who sought to discover the fate of the Cross on which Jesus was crucified. Using her influence and resources, she led an extensive search. In 326 AD, during a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, she miraculously located not only the Cross of Jesus but also the crosses of the two thieves who were crucified alongside Him.
Excited by her discovery, St. Helena informed her son, Emperor Constantine, who then commissioned the construction of churches in the locations where Jesus was crucified. In 335 AD, after returning from the Holy Land, St. Helena enshrined a portion of the Cross in the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Rome, while a larger segment was placed in the newly built Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Although the Cross was temporarily lost due to ongoing wars, it was restored to Jerusalem in 629 AD by the Christian Emperor Heraclius. These significant events are commemorated in today’s feast, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.
In Istanbul, there stands a famous church known as Hagia Sophia. Built by the Byzantine Christian Emperor Justinian in 537 AD, it was transformed into a mosque by Muslims in 1453, then became a museum in 1935, and was converted back into a mosque in 2020. The Greek words "Hagia Sophia" translate to "Holy Wisdom," and the structure is celebrated for its innovative architecture, including a massive dome and a blend of Christian mosaics and Islamic elements. Throughout various periods, the Hagia Sophia housed relics of the True Cross of Jesus, especially after they were secured from the Persians in 629 AD. These relics have been commemorated during the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.
By Fr. Cyril Veliath, SJ