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March 6, 2024

The Location Where the True Cross of Christ Was Found by Saint Helen


Descending 29 steps below the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, one comes to the Armenian Chapel of Saint Helen, which has a dome and an elaborate mosaic floor. Descending 13 more steps below this chapel, which is the deepest part of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, we enter the Franciscan Chapel of the Finding of the Cross. In this 12th century chapel, there is a purple-white slab of marble with an engraved Cross  (that says "Jesus Christ Conquers") which belongs to the Greek Orthodox, and this spot marks the exact location where according to tradition the True Cross of Christ, together with the Crosses of the Robbers, the Crown of Thorns and the Sacred Nails were found in a miraculous manner by Saint Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, on March 6, 326.