Although our Church celebrated the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on Monday, September 14th, we are celebrating it as a community this weekend, which is within the octave of the feast. It is one of the 12 major feasts, as everyone knows, of our Church.

While it is a very ancient feast, its history, like that of the finding of the Cross, has been obscured by various legends. It is not easy to separate historical fact from pious legend.

Historians of the Eastern Church generally agree that two particular events gave rise to the institution of this feast: the finding of the holy Cross in the fourth century and its recovery from Persian captivity in the seventh century.

The institution of the Feast was first preceded by the finding of the Cross. Christian tradition has transmitted to us several different legends about the finding, three of which are attributed to St. Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine the Great. The finding of the Cross is believed to have taken place in 326. Historians who mention its finding say nothing about its first   exaltation after its discovery nor does pious tradition give any account of it.

It owes its origin to the consecration of the Church of the Resurrection which was erected on Golgotha, in Jerusalem by Emperor Constantine. The church was consecrated on September 13th in 335. Then, on the day following, there was a solemn elevation of the Cross to the public. During its elevation people exclaimed “Lord, have mercy” many times. Since that time, the Eastern Church has celebrated the feast on September 14th.

The second important event, which rendered the feast universal in the East, was the return of the Cross from Persian captivity. When the Persian King Chosroes captured the city of Jerusalem in 614, he carried off the Cross. Then fourteen year later, Emperor Heraclius was victorious over the Persians and recovered the Cross. It was brought back to Jerusalem and on September 14th a second solemn celebration took place during which the Cross was again elevated   before the people.

Since the feast of the Exaltation calls to mind the crucifixion and death of Christ, it has been given equal rank with Great and Good Friday since the middle of the seventh century. Besides this feast, our Church also pays honor to the Cross at the mid-point of the Great Fast, which is called the Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross.

The Veneration of the Cross is, by tradition, accompanied by fasting, prostrations and a special hymn.