In the profound design of Divine Providence, aimed at the salvation of the human race, the Lord transformed the Cross—once a sign of the most terrible torture and greatest humiliation—into the invincible symbol of saving Christian faith.
Indeed, in ancient times, the Cross was the symbol of the punishment reserved for the worst criminals, as crucifixion was one of the most atrocious forms of capital punishment inflicted upon prisoners and the condemned. They would die upon it slowly, amidst unspeakable torment.
Yet the Lord Jesus Christ, by allowing Himself to be crucified on the Cross, transformed that symbol of humiliation into the symbol of His divine and human sacrifice: a sacrifice through which the entire human race was granted the remission of sins, reconciliation with God, and the gift of adoption as God’s children.
In addition to dedicating every Wednesday and Friday of the weekly liturgical cycle to the Precious Cross, the Holy Church has also established a solemn feast in its honor, known as the Exaltation of the Precious Cross.
The Exaltation of the Precious Cross is celebrated on September 14 according to the ecclesiastical calendar, which corresponds to September 27 in the "new"—or civil—calendar.
This observance commemorates two great events in the history of Christianity.
The first event is the miraculous finding of the Precious Cross upon which the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified.
The finding of the Precious Cross is linked to the holy Empress Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine. Before the battle against the usurper Maxentius in the year 312, Constantine had a vision of a luminous Cross bearing the inscription: "By this sign, you shall conquer!" After his victory, Emperor Constantine had a commemorative cross erected in the center of Rome as a new symbol of the Roman Empire. Subsequently, with the Edict of Milan in 313, he proclaimed Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, which thus became a Christian empire.
Later, Emperor Constantine had the Church of the Resurrection built in Jerusalem, on the site of Christ’s tomb.
According to Church tradition, the holy Empress Helena discovered the Precious Cross during her pilgrimage to Jerusalem. This was an event of extraordinary importance for Christianity, as the location where the Cross—upon which the Lord Jesus Christ had been crucified—lay hidden had been unknown for three centuries.
The second event is linked to the victory of the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius over the Persian Emperor Khosrow in the year 628. Following this victory, the Precious Cross—which had been taken from Jerusalem in 614 during the Persian conquest—was returned by Persia to the Byzantine Empire.
In popular usage, this solemnity is known as the Feast of the Holy Cross. The word "Exaltation" signifies the lifting up of the Cross and carries a twofold meaning.
The first is the lifting up of the Cross above the entire universe as a sign of Christianity’s victory over the world.
The second is the lifting up of the Cross performed on this day by sacred ministers during liturgical celebrations in Christian churches worldwide. With the Cross, they bless the whole world, allowing the faithful to contemplate and venerate it.
Also linked to this solemnity is the tradition of raising and placing crosses atop Christian churches and on the graves of the faithful.
### Troparion – Tone 1
Save, O Lord, Your people and bless Your inheritance. Grant victory to our Orthodox and Christ-loving people over their enemies and, by means of Your Cross, preserve Your dwelling.
### Troparion – Tone 1 (liturgical text)
Save, O Lord, Your people and bless Your inheritance; grant victory to our Orthodox and Christ-loving people over their enemies and, by means of Your Cross, preserve Your people.
### Kontakion – Tone 4
O Christ God, Who were voluntarily raised upon the Cross, bestow Your mercies upon the new people who bear Your name. Gladden our faithful and Christ-loving people with Your power, granting them victory over their enemies. May they have as an ally Your weapon of peace, the Cross—an invincible victory.