According to tradition, around 326 CE, Empress Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, at the age of approximately 80, experienced a vision in which she received a divine call to journey to Jerusalem to seek the relics of Christ’s Passion. In Jerusalem, Helena was met by Patriarch Macarius, who assisted in organizing the expedition. Excavations began on Mount Golgotha, where, according to the Golden Legend, a Jew named Judas Cyriacus, a descendant of Nicodemus, indicated that the search should focus under the shrine of Venus. After the shrine was demolished, the Cave of the Holy Sepulcher was uncovered, where nails and a plaque inscribed with “IESVS·NAZARENVS·REX·IVDÆORVM” were found. Nearby, three crosses were discovered.

To identify the True Cross of Christ, Patriarch Macarius conducted a test: when each cross was brought near the body of a deceased man being carried past the excavation site, the dead man came back to life upon contact with the Life-Giving Wood. This miracle confirmed the authenticity of the True Cross. Upon hearing about the discovery, crowds gathered on Golgotha. Patriarch Macarius and the clergy elevated the Cross, allowing the faithful to see it, prompting a prayerful exclamation: “Lord, have mercy.” According to tradition, a gravely ill woman was healed immediately upon seeing the Cross, leading to the conversion of many.

Empress Helena contributed to the construction of approximately 80 churches at sites associated with Gospel events. Upon her return to Constantinople, she brought a portion of the Life-Giving Cross and the nails, which were venerated in Hagia Sophia. Emperor Constantine ordered the construction of the grand Church of the Resurrection on Golgotha, completed ten years later. Empress Helena did not live to see its completion, passing away in 327 CE. The church was solemnly consecrated on September 13, 335 CE, and the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was established the following day.

Iconography

Among the earliest depictions of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, two primary iconographic traditions are notable.
In the first, the Cross is held by Patriarch Macarius, as in the miniature from the Menologion of Basil II (976–1025 CE).
In the second, Constantine and Helena are depicted, as seen in the frescoes of a 10th-century Cappadocian church. However, this latter scene illustrates the Exaltation not in Jerusalem but in the Constantinopolitan Hagia Sophia, where the Cross was later transferred.

Classical compositions often merge these two narratives within the same scene, typically against the backdrop of the completed Church of the Resurrection. In Ukrainian icons predating the 16th century, these stories are frequently depicted separately within a single image. For instance, in the upper portion of an icon, Patriarch Macarius is shown lifting the Cross with the clergy, while the lower portion depicts the Constantinopolitan Exaltation, where Constantine and Helena raise the Cross before the faithful. Occasionally, the compositions include marginal scenes associated with the feast. In later examples, where the events are combined, the patriarch is depicted on an elevated platform, with the emperor and empress positioned on either side or at the edges of the scene.

The derivative theme of the “Veneration of the Cross” symbolizes the annual ceremonial display of the Cross in Hagia Sophia. This theme, less closely tied to the historical events of the Exaltation, employs a freer composition. The Cross is typically shown much larger and not held by anyone. Figures of Church Fathers, historical personalities, and monarchs are included among the faithful, while the background often depicts scenes of Christ’s Passion or the New Testament Trinity in the heavens.

Mykhailo Skop

Icons of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Icons of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross/Veneration of the Cross