True Cross facts for kids
The True Cross refers to pieces of wood that many people believe came from the actual cross where Jesus was crucified. It's a very important symbol for many Christians around the world.
The Story of Empress Helena
Empress Helena lived a long time ago, from about 250 to 330 AD. She was the mother of Constantine, who became the first Roman Emperor to allow Christianity. This happened in 312 AD, making Christianity legal across the Roman Empire.
Ancient writers, like Socrates Scolaticus, say that Helena traveled to the Holy Land. While there, she helped build churches and set up places to help people in need. The story goes that she found the spot where three crosses were buried. These were the cross used for Jesus and the crosses for the two thieves, Dismas and Gestas, who were crucified with him.
It is believed that a miracle showed which of the three crosses was the True Cross.
Beliefs About the True Cross
Many churches today have small pieces, called fragments, that they believe are from the True Cross. However, not all Christians agree that these pieces are real. Some Christians question if the stories about finding the True Cross are completely accurate.
Belief in the discovery of the True Cross is mostly found in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The stories about where the cross came from are different in Catholic and Orthodox traditions. Both of these churches honor Helena as a saint. The Anglican Communion also honors her.
Some Christians believe that wood from the True Cross has special healing powers. In the Middle Ages, people would travel long distances to churches and shrines that held pieces of the cross. They would touch the wood, hoping to be cured of illnesses or injuries.
Images for kids
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The Queen of Sheba honors the wood that will be used for the Cross (fresco by Piero della Francesca in San Francesco, Arezzo).
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The Finding of the True Cross, by Agnolo Gaddi, Florence, 1380.
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The proving of the True Cross, by Jean Colombe in the Très Riches Heures.
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A relic of the True Cross being carried in a parade through the Piazza San Marco, Venice. Painted by Gentile Bellini in the 15th century.
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An enameled silver reliquary of the True Cross from Constantinople, around 800 AD.
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One of the largest believed pieces of the True Cross is at Santo Toribio de Liébana in Spain (photo by F. J. Díez Martín).
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Pieces of the True Cross in the Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Visoki Dečani in Kosovo.
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Reliquary of the True Cross at Notre-Dame de Paris.
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Base of the reliquary of the True Cross and a nail from the crucifixion. Notre Dame de Paris.
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Reliquary of the True Cross and a nail from the crucifixion. Notre Dame de Paris.
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A fragment from the treasury of the former Premonstratensian Abbey in Rüti in Switzerland.
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The three crosses are found. An injured young man is healed by the True Cross. Fifteenth-century frescoes at the Church of San Francesco, Arezzo by Piero della Francesca.
See also
In Spanish: Vera Cruz (cristianismo) para niños
