Each year in mid September, the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem comes alive with one of the most ancient and meaningful feasts of the Holy Land. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross honors the True Cross of Christ, the discovery of its remains by Saint Helena, and the centuries of devotion that have surrounded it ever since.
When is it celebrated?
On September 14, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, the Franciscan Custos, and the many Catholic religious orders represented in Jerusalem come together to celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The Orthodox Church knows it by another name, the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross. The Greek, Russian, Arab and Romanian Orthodox communities observe the feast on September 27.
Which Christian denominations celebrate it?
While the feast may not be widely known in the Catholic Church outside the Holy Land, it is one of the principal feasts of the Latin Patriarchate, which traces its apostolic succession to the first bishop of Jerusalem, Saint James the Greater, one of the Twelve Apostles, also known as "The Brother of the Lord."
How is the feast celebrated in Jerusalem?
The feast is still observed with great fervor and reverence in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. In many ways it marks the beginning of the autumn season, when pilgrims from across the world arrive in greater numbers. Masses at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre are followed by evening processions through the Christian Quarter. It is a powerful, moving testament to the enduring faith of Christians in the Holy Land, in times of struggle and times of triumph alike.
The Christian Quarter, where you can see the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the scenic Muristan Square from the bell tower of the Lutheran Kirche of the Redeemer.
How important is the actual Holy Cross?
Christian tradition holds great reverence for the very cross upon which our Lord Jesus was crucified. The cross itself is considered a holy relic of immeasurable importance to the Christian faith. Some traditions hold that it was made from wood hewn from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden, drawing a sacred line from the original sin of Adam and Eve to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ the Savior.
Whatever its origins, the cross was apparently discarded into a rubbish heap on Golgotha, where it lay for nearly three centuries until being found through divine inspiration under the guidance of Saint Helena. The cross was divided into several portions and sent to different places of the Byzantine Christian world, with the largest segment remaining in the Holy City. From that moment on, the veneration of the cross became a central part of pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Pilgrims entering the Holy Sepulchre, the basilica complex containing Golgotha and the tomb of Christ, would ascend to Golgotha to venerate it. In time, the cross had to be concealed, for pilgrims had begun to bite small pieces away as they kissed it, hoping to keep a portion of the Holy Cross for themselves.
Why is the feast important?
The importance of the cross was so great that when Jerusalem was sacked by the Persians in the early seventh century, the cross was carried off as a war trophy along with the Patriarch of Jerusalem. When the Emperor Heraclius delivered a decisive victory and reclaimed both Patriarch and cross, he returned in triumph to the city of Jerusalem. So meaningful was this moment of redemption to the devastated city and its Christians that it was declared a holy day, celebrated for a time with the same festivity as Easter and Epiphany. For this reason, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross became an important feast day not only in the life of the Church in the Holy Land, but across the universal Church.
Visit our beautiful olive wood crosses and crucifixes made at our workshop in the Holy Land. We also custom design processional crosses. Contact us.
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