FEAST of
THE DISCOVERY OF
THE HOLY CROSS
The Armenian Apostolic Holy Church celebrates four feasts dedicated to the Holy Cross in its liturgical calendar: the Discovery of the Holy Cross, the Apparition of the Holy Cross, the Holy Cross of Varag, and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
The Feast of the Discovery (Finding) of the Holy Cross is celebrated on the Sunday closest to October 26, which this year falls on October 25.
“We have placed our trust in Your Cross, O Eternal Creator, which You have given us as a victorious protector against the enemy. We beseech You, O Gracious Savior, preserve our souls.”
In this hymn dedicated to the Discovery of the Holy Cross, the hymnographer emphasizes the protective power of the Holy Cross against evil.
The Holy Cross was discovered on two occasions: in the first and fourth centuries.
The First Discovery of the Holy Cross
After Christ’s Ascension into Heaven, the Holy Cross was left unattended on Golgotha. One day, while playing in that place, a child who was lame accidentally touched the wood of the Cross and was immediately healed. Overjoyed, the child praised God and gave thanks. Following this event, many sick people were healed through the power of the Holy Cross. Afterward, James, the Brother of the Lord, took the Cross into his care.
The enemies of the Cross, the Jews, repeatedly attempted through various means to conceal its miraculous power, but their efforts were in vain. On one occasion, they seized the Cross from James and placed it near the gate of the Temple in Jerusalem known as the Beautiful Gate. There, a paralyzed man who regularly begged for alms was healed through the power of the Cross. A leper was also healed at that location.
Later, the Jews took the Cross to the Lord’s tomb and sealed it beneath a large stone. When they witnessed a wondrous light shining through the cracks in the stone, as well as the healing of those who came to the Lord’s tomb seeking relief from their afflictions, they erected an image of Aphrodite upon the stone so that people would believe that Aphrodite was responsible for the healings.
During those days, Patronike, the wife of Emperor Claudius, traveled from Rome to Jerusalem with her sons and daughters to venerate the holy places associated with the Lord. She had converted to Christianity through the preaching of the Apostle Peter.
Accompanied by James, the Brother of the Lord, the queen visited the Lord’s tomb. After having it cleansed, she discovered the Cross upon which the Lord had been crucified, lying alongside the crosses of the two thieves.
In the midst of her joy, one of her daughters suddenly died. Guided by the Holy Spirit, they placed the crosses upon the deceased princess one after another, praying as they did so.
When the cross of the thief who had been crucified on the left was placed upon her, nothing happened. When the cross of the thief on the right was placed upon her, only the princess’s right eye opened. But when the Cross of the Lord was placed upon her, the princess immediately came back to life.
Witnessing this miracle, all those present bowed down and worshiped the Life-Giving Cross.
Thus, the Cross of Christ was discovered.
The queen then entrusted the Cross to James, the Brother of the Lord, and asked in return for a small relic of the Life-Giving Wood. She received this precious relic with gratitude and returned to Rome.
Later, this priceless relic of the sacred Cross passed into the possession of her relative, Hripsime, who brought it with her to Armenia.
James, the Brother of the Lord, kept the Cross in the church. Every Sunday, from the Feast of Palm Sunday until September 14, he brought it out in the morning and evening, elevated it, and proclaimed:
“We bow down before Your Cross, O Christ…”
Afterward, the Cross was returned to the sanctuary of the church, where it remained until the following Palm Sunday.
When Nero became Emperor of Rome, severe persecutions began against the Church of the Lord. Taking advantage of the situation, the Jews killed James, the Brother of the Lord, and buried the Cross in a deep pit on Golgotha, turning the site into a rubbish dump.
The Cross remained buried there for approximately three hundred years, until the reign of the pious Emperor Constantine, when the Church finally found peace.
The Second Discovery of the Holy Cross
In AD 313, through the Edict of Milan, Christians throughout the Roman Empire were granted the freedom to practice their religion openly.
Jerusalem became a destination for pilgrims, and people traveled from all directions to visit the sacred places.
Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, was a deeply devout woman, and God bestowed upon her a great honor.
One day, God appeared to her in a vision and said:
“Go, find the Cross of Christ, and build a church upon that site.”
In AD 327, Queen Helena traveled to Jerusalem and devoted great effort to finding the Cross of Christ.
The location of the buried crosses was known only to a Jewish man named Judas, who had learned of their burial place through written traditions passed down by his ancestors.
At first, Judas refused to reveal the location. However, after spending six days without food at the bottom of a dry well, he finally disclosed where the crosses had been buried.
Excavations began, and the crosses were recovered from beneath the rubbish. The searchers even discovered the inscription that, by order of Pontius Pilate, had been fastened above Jesus’ head in three languages. However, the inscription had become detached from the Cross.
The true Cross of Christ was identified through the miracles that occurred.
When the wood of the Cross touched a deceased young man, he was restored to life. A woman who was near death was also healed of her illnesses through its power.
As a result of these miracles, many people embraced Christianity, including Judas himself, who later suffered martyrdom for the name of Christ.
At that time, Bishop Cyril of Jerusalem elevated the Holy Cross for the veneration of the faithful.
In AD 335, Queen Helena built the Church of the Holy Resurrection on Golgotha, where the Cross of Christ was then erected.
The Holy Cross as a Symbol of Salvation and Victory
Recognizing the Holy Cross as a symbol of salvation and victory, every Christian turns to the Crucified Lord with the words of St. Gregory of Tatev:
“When You appear upon the radiant clouds in the glory of the Father, may Your Cross be our refuge, O Lord Jesus. Then we who have placed our trust in You shall not be put to shame. Rather, through Your great power, we shall rejoice at Your right hand as children of light. Amen.”
SCRIPTURE READINGS
~ Wisdom of Solomon 14:1–8 ~
Again, one preparing to sail and about to voyage over raging waves calls upon a piece of wood more fragile than the ship to carry him. For it was desire for gain that planned it, and wisdom was the artisan who built it; but it is your providence, O Father, that steers its course, because you have given it a path in the sea, and a safe way through the waves, showing that you can save from every danger, so that even a person who lacks skill may put to sea. It is your will that works of your wisdom should not be without effect; therefore people trust their lives even to the smallest piece of wood, and passing through the billows on a raft they come safely to land. For even in the beginning, when arrogant giants were perishing, the hope of the world took refuge on a raft and, guided by your hand, left to the world the seed of a new generation. For blessed is the wood through which righteousness comes. But the idol made with hands is accursed, and so is the one who made it— he for having made it, and the perishable thing because it was named a god.
~ Isaiah 33:22-34:1 ~
For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our ruler, the Lord is our king; he will save us. Your rigging hangs loose; it cannot hold the mast firm in its place, or keep the sail spread out. Then prey and spoil in abundance will be divided; even the lame will fall to plundering. And no inhabitant will say, "I am sick"; the people who live there will be forgiven their iniquity. Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion! Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for the uncircumcised and the unclean shall enter you no more. Shake yourself from the dust, rise up, O captive Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter Zion! For thus says the Lord: You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.
Draw near, O nations, to hear; O peoples, give heed! Let the earth hear, and all that fills it; the world, and all that comes from it.
~ 1 Corinthians 1:18-24 ~
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
~ Holy Gospel of St. Matthew 24:27-36 ~
For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. "Immediately after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see "the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven' with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. "But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.