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What Happened To The “True Cross” Of Jesus Christ?
Four theories regarding one of history’s most famous relics
The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was one of the most pivotal moments in history. From that day forward, the entire landscape of world religion, and later, geopolitics, was changed forever. That makes the cross that Jesus hung on when he breathed his last one of the most intriguing and famous relics in all religious history. Despite the prominence of the so-called True Cross, its history is sketchy, and its final fate is obscured in mystery.
The story of the True Cross begins in the Fourth Century with Helen, the mother of Constantine the Great. Helen made a pilgrimage to the Holy City, Jerusalem, in a bid to look for projects to embark on. Helen was supposedly a devout Christian who had the means to revitalize Jerusalem’s ailing churches and monuments. (The city was still recovering from its disastrous fate at the hands of the Romans.)
During her pilgrimage, Helen supposedly unearthed a hidden chamber containing three crosses. These crosses were believed to be the ones that held Jesus and the two criminals on the day of his crucifixion. It seemed as though the crosses had been stolen and hidden from the Romans at some point. At first, Helen was (rightfully) skeptical of the historicity of the True Cross that…
