When the reign of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine the Great (306-337) began, then the first Christian emperor of Rome, together with his pious mother the empress Helen he decided to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, and on the place of the suffering and Resurrection of the Lord to erect a new temple, in order to purify from pagan cults the places connected with memory of the Savior, and to re-consecrate them.
The empress Helen journeyed to Jerusalem with a large quantity of gold, and Saint Constantine wrote a letter to Patriarch Makarios (313-323), requesting him to assist in every possible way the task of the renewal of the Christian holy places.
Although the holy Empress Helen was no longer young, she set about completing the task with enthusiasm. She made pilgrimage to the holy places connected with the earthly life of the Savior, causing to be built more than eighty churches – at Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ; on the Mount of Olives, where the Lord ascended to the heavens; and at Gethsemane, where the Savior prayed before his sufferings, and where the Mother of God was buried.
In her search for the life-giving cross, she questioned both Christians and Jews, but for a long time her search remained unsuccessful. Finally, she was directed to a certain Jew named Jude, who asserted that the cross was known to be buried beneath the temple of Venus, which the pagan Emperor Hadrian (117-138) has caused to be built to cover the place of Christian pilgrimage. They demolished the pagan temple and, after praying, they began to excavate the ground. Soon the Lord’s tomb was uncovered. Not far from it were the wood of three crosses, and a board with the inscription ordered by Pilate.
At that time a funeral procession was making its way out of the city to the place of burial. In order to determine upon which of the three crosses the Savior had lain, Patriarch Makarios gave orders to touch each in turn to the dead person. Just as the Cross of Christ touched the dead person, he immediately returned to life. With the greatest of joy the empress Helen and Patriarch Makarios raised up high the wood of the life-creating Cross and displayed it to all the people who had gathered; the faithful bowed and prostrated, prayed and sang together: “Lord, have mercy!” This occurred in 326 AD, and is commemorated on March 6/19.
The Jewish elder Jude and other Jews there came to faith in Christ and received holy baptism. Jude received the name Kyriakos and later was consecrated Bishop of Jerusalem. Under the persecution of Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363), he accepted a martyr’s death for Christ and we commemorate him on Oct. 28/Nov. 10.
Saint Helen took with her to Constantinople part of the wood of the life-creating cross. Her son Saint Constantine gave orders to raise up at Jerusalem a majestic and spacious church to honor the Resurrection of Christ, including in itself both the tomb of the Lord, and Golgotha. The temple was constructed in about 10 years; Saint Helen did not survive until the dedication of the temple but died in 327. The church was consecrated on September 13, 335. On the following day, September 14/27, the festal celebration of the Exaltation of the Venerable and Life-Creating Cross was established.
