September 27 – The Exaltation of the Lord: beautiful pictures and greeting cards
On September 27, the Orthodox Church celebrates one of the great twelfth feasts – the Elevation of the Honest and Life-giving Cross of the Lord.
The holiday is dedicated to the events of the fourth century, when the main Christian relic was found and solemnly erected for universal worship.
According to church legend, the Roman emperor Constantine the Great once saw a shining cross in the sky with the inscription "By this conquer." Inspired by the sign, he converted to Christianity, and his mother, Saint Helena, went to Jerusalem in search of the shrine.
Excavations led to the Holy Sepulchre, where they found three crosses, a tablet with the inscription “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” and four nails. To determine which of them the Savior was crucified, Patriarch Macarius of Jerusalem conducted a test. Crosses were alternately applied to a seriously ill woman. The first two had no effect, but she was instantly healed by the touch of the third. At the same time, the body of the deceased was carried past for burial. When the third cross was laid on him, the deceased came to life. This is how the world found a true life-giving cross.
In honor of this event, Constantine ordered to build in Jerusalem a majestic temple of the Resurrection of Christ, uniting both Golgotha and the Holy Sepulcher.
