The Exaltation of the Holy Cross is an icon that has several images. This is due to the fact that each icon painter described the location of the Cross of Jesus in different ways, trying to indicate the main details. For Christians of that time, this is a huge event, therefore several churches, churches were built in his honor, prayers, songs, troparia, sacred texts were composed, the date of the holiday of the same name was set.
Exaltation of the Holy Cross: History
Historical facts say that the return of the Life-giving Tree was due to the emperor Constantine the Great and his mother Elena. Konstantin was Roman by type, by faith, like his father, a pagan, and his mother was a Christian. After the death of her father, Empress Helena actively engaged in the spread of Christianity. The son did not come to this faith right away. This was promoted by a sign before one important battle. Long doubts, tortures, appeals, prayers to God contributed to the sign - the appearance of the cross in the evening sky. This was seen by the emperor with his army. At night, he also dreamed of Jesus, who informed him of the impending victory over the enemy, if His symbol would be depicted on the clothes, weapons, banners of the soldiers.
Constantine, fulfilling God's will, won the battle. In the middle of the defeated city, a statue was erected holding a cross. But this incident did not lead to the emergence of a new religious holiday - the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord. Its meaning was realized by people later. In the meantime, the son Konstantin asks his mother to find the Life-giving Tree.
The quest for the empress
She went to the birthplace of Christ (Jerusalem), learned from the old Jew the exact location of the tomb. The cross was under a pagan temple (pagans at Christian shrines built their temples, altars of sacrifice, trying to be remembered by humanity, but thereby made marks for Christians).
When the earth was excavated, they saw three crosses. According to legend, Empress Helen and Patriarch Macarius identified the Cross of Jesus by its miraculous power. Each plank found was applied in turn to a sick woman, and then to a deceased. The result was instant: the woman recovered, and the dead man was resurrected. All those present believed in God even more, wanted to adhere to the cross. But since there were many people, the bishop from an elevated place began to erect the Life-giving Tree over all those gathered with the words "Lord, have mercy." From here came the name - Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The prayer was composed later. In it, Christians bow to the Cross and glorify the name of the Lord.
Emperor Constantine and his mother Elena did a lot for Christianity. Under their rule, persecution of Christians ceased, temples, monasteries, cathedrals, churches were built. Only after the Cross of Jesus was found, eighty temples were founded on Palestinian land where the foot of the son of the Lord stepped. Empress Elena brought her son a part of the Life-giving Cross with nails. Constantine ordered to erect a temple in honor of this event, which was built and consecrated ten years later. The day of its opening (September 14, 335) becomes the date of the celebration of the Exaltation.
Mother did not live up to this event, and Konstantin himself became a Christian shortly before his death, considering it impossible to accept the sacrament earlier. For their merits, the church assigned the son and mother to the saints, appropriated the status of equal apostles. Their faces are displayed by the icon of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord.
The significance of this church holiday
There is another legend about the Life-giving Tree. When the Persians attacked under the leadership of Khozroy the Second, the Cross of the Lord was stolen together with Patriarch Zachary. Fourteen years later, Emperor Heraclius defeated the Persians, freed the patriarch, and returned the shrine to the Christians. When he carried the cross to the temple of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, he could not take a single step on Mount Calvary. Patriarch Zachary explained the reason for this phenomenon, so the emperor took off his royal robes and brought the Life-giving Tree inside the building. Which of the two legends is the basis of the celebration of the Exaltation? No one has yet been determined, and historians cannot give an exact explanation. Therefore, Orthodox Christians honor the merits of Helen with Constantine, and Catholics talk about the emperor Heraclius.
Church Feast The Exaltation is celebrated by Catholics and Orthodox Christians on different days from the three hundred and twenty-sixth year when they found the cross of Calvary. For Catholics, this is September fourteenth, and for Orthodox, it is September twenty-seventh (calculus is implied according to the Gregorian calendar).
The triumph has a certain sequence, the main role is played by the icon "Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord." The meaning of the holiday is reflected in its other name - the Exaltation of the Holy Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, that is, the glory of the name of the Lord through the raising of the cross. The celebration is one of the twelve important holidays that come after Easter (because its other name is twentieth). Like Easter, it has pre-holiday (day) and post-holiday (week) periods.
The difference between the Catholic and Orthodox holidays
Earlier, Orthodox Christians, on the eve of the Exaltation from dusk until dawn, performed an all-night vigil with little evening. By a certain time, the Life-giving tree is transferred to the throne from the altar. Nowadays, this rite is rare, because the Cross is placed on the throne in advance. The gospel is read in the altar at the matinee, then a chant occurs. Exaltation takes place without kissing the gospel and anointing after reading it.
As soon as the priest is fully clothed, the Great Praise begins. The abbot performs certain actions with the Cross, reads troparia to the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Next, the troparion is chanted three times with earthly bows, then everyone goes to the clergy with anointing with oil. The liturgy ends with litany, making way for the liturgy.
Catholics celebrate the holiday in the evening or in the morning (it all depends on whether it is September 14th on a weekday or Sunday). Evening service begins with the Latin rite, and Matins consists of three nocturnes dedicated to the history of the return of the Holy Cross, the preaching of the Pope. The sequence of stages of the Catholic holiday is registered in the missal (liturgical book). So no changes will happen, and the sermon on the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is similar to the texts of Holy Week.
Exaltation Icons
Since the celebration is celebrated by Catholics and Orthodox in different ways, the icons have different plots. Since the fifteenth century, icon painters have depicted many people at the temple, the center is occupied by deacons with the patriarch who erects a cross decorated with plants, and on the opposite side are depicted Emperor Constantine with his mother Elena.
Before this period, the icon underwent various changes and acquired a different look:
- The Church of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople has been depicting images of Equal-to-the-Apostles Helena and Constantine holding on to the Cross from the 12th century on. This image was painted, cut out of wood, and made of mosaics.
- In the Romanian monastery of Bistrita, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross - an icon - depicts a trinity: Konstantin and Elena pray near the patriarch.
- The Vatican miniature of the eleventh century depicts Emperor Basil the Second with a Cross with bishops. By the way, Catholics and Orthodox Christians, next to the bishop, always depict deacons guarding the Cross. This is due to the legend that someone from the common people, bowing to the Life-giving Tree, bit off a chip. Therefore, deacons observe the behavior of Christians during the Exaltation.
- The Moscow icon of the seventeenth century tells of the celebration of the Exaltation. In front of the temple is Patriarch Macarius with deacons and the Life-giving Tree. Judging by the position of the hands, perhaps the bishop is conducting a troparion to the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. On both sides are equal apostles Konstantin and Elena. Below is a choir of church singers. On each side are the apostles with the saints.
- The thirteenth century chapel of San Silvestro tells of the excavations of Helena. People dig up the tomb of Jesus, where three crosses lie. In the foreground, the image of the weak is depicted in order to recall the miraculous power of the Life-giving Tree.
The main difference between Catholic and Orthodox icons is the depiction of the historical fact of the return of the Cross. The Orthodox depict Helen and Constantine, and the Catholics depict Emperor Heraclius. Thus, the icon of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord seems to be different for Christians, but everyone has the same meaning - faith in God, acceptance of the fact of the Resurrection of the Son of God, veneration of the Cross as the salvation of the whole human race. This church holiday is not dedicated to crying about the sufferings of Christ, but to joy after the trials. The cross is seen as a tool of redemption, exalting it, Christians glorify the name of Christ.
Crucifixion History
Over time, the Life-giving Tree was torn apart to pieces in different churches, now Christians only figuratively glorify the name of the Lord. Moreover, the Gospel does not mention the origin of the cross anywhere, unlike apocryphal legends. According to the Bogomil legend, the tree of Good and Evil from the Garden of Eden formed three trunks, representing Adam, Lord and Eve. After the expulsion of people from paradise, only the trunk of God remained, and the other two parts of the tree fell to the earth. It is from them that a crucifix will be made for Christ (meaning the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord). Photos of the apocrypha can be found in museums and annals (the most popular works by Piero della Francesca).
According to the "golden" legend, after the death of Adam, a dry branch of the tree of Good and Evil sprouted, which his son brought from the Archangel Michael to extend the days of his father. This tree grew before the appearance of King Solomon, who cut it down for the construction of the temple. However, a bridge was built from the beam, on which the Queen of Sheba refused to go, revealing to everyone the significance of this tree. Solomon buried this bar, but after some time it was found. Water washed the tree, which had medicinal properties, because the Siloam font was founded here. After the capture of Jesus, this beam surfaced, and the Jews used it to base the crucifixion. Cross boards were taken from trees of other species.
Exaltation Churches
The first church, built in honor of the Life-giving Tree, was erected on Palestinian soil in the fourth century, under the Empress Elena. Then, over time, the Antioch, Constantinople, Alexandria, Roman churches arose. Immediately there are writers of canons and stichera. The most famous are the creators of Cosmas, Theophanes, who wanted to connect the plots of the New and Old Testament. So, the prototypes of the patriarch Jacob, Moses, the Virgin Mary are mentioned and are associated with Jesus, the Life-giving Tree. Over time, prayers, troparia, kondak, canons and akathist were compiled for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
To date, a thousand churches, temples, monasteries, cathedrals in honor of the Life-giving Tree have been created throughout Russia (Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg, Perm Territory, Sverdlovsk Region, Kaliningrad, Krasnoyarsk, Omsk, Petrozavodsk, Tutaevo, St. Petersburg, Komi Republic, Kizlyar, Sevsk, Tver, Belgorod, Voronezh, Izhevsk, Irkutsk, Karelia, Kalmykia, Ufa, Kaluga).
In other countries, Christians also rebuilt religious sites in honor of the Exaltation. In Ukraine, these churches are located in the Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kharkov regions, Poltava, Kamenetz-Podolsk, Uzhgorod. In Moldova, near Tiraspol, there is the Kitskansky New-Nyametsky Monastery with numerous buildings. There is also a museum library with rare books and shrines describing the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (the icon, prayer, song and other Christian attributes of a religious holiday are described in church publications).
As you can see, monasteries, churches, cathedrals, and temples built in honor of the Life-giving Tree can be found all over the world. Many of them have preserved Christian shrines, religious services are held. Others are used as cultural tourist sites. Let us dwell on Moscow churches.
Inactive Moscow temples of the Exaltation
- Holy Cross Church. It was rebuilt by one thousand six hundred and eighty-first year by the Russian tsar Fedor Alekseevich. Divine services do not take place, since the church, together with other religious buildings, forms the Kremlin Grand Palace, and is also considered part of the Residence of the Russian President.
- The Exaltation Church of the St. Nicholas Monastery of Unified Faith. The construction of the facility was completed by the year 1880, and it was consecrated by Metropolitan Filaret only after forty-eight years. It was defeated by the Bolsheviks, in the nineties it was transferred to the possession of the Church, at the expense of which the historical object was restored. The temple does not conduct a sermon today on the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, as it is considered an object of Russia's cultural heritage.
- Serpukhov Exaltation Church. Built by one thousand seven hundred and fifty-fifth year for charitable donations from the merchant family of Kishkin. The church lasted until Soviet times, then, like many religious sites, it was closed and then destroyed. Now its premises are used by a textile company as a warehouse.
Existing Moscow churches of the Exaltation
- Old Believer Church of the Exaltation. Located in the Preobrazhensky district of Moscow. The temple was built by the year eighteen eleven in the female territory of the Transfiguration community. The Old Believer Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross continues to work, although values under Soviet rule were transferred to the Holy Cross Exaltation Church.
- Altufevskaya Exaltation Church. A temple was created under the direction of I.I. Velyaminov by the year one thousand seven hundred and sixty-third in the territory of the Altufiev estate, not far from the pond. The church is part of the Trinity Deanery District of the Moscow Diocese, and is still active.
- Vozdvizhensky temple on Pure Vrazhka. Included in the Central Deanery District of the Diocese of Moscow. The name was received from a ravine, through which manure was exported from the royal stables in the nineteenth century. The temple was built by the year one thousand seven hundred and eight. The Soviet period left its mark on religious activity, but since 1992, worship has resumed. So today's Christians can also listen to the akathist to the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
- Cherkizovsky Exaltation Church. It is also called the Church of Elijah the Prophet. Now it is part of the Resurrection Deanery of the Moscow Diocese. The temple was founded by Ilya Ozakov in the fourteenth century. Twice the church was reconstructed, but not because of Soviet anti-religious views, but because of insufficient space for parishioners. This is one of the few churches that survived in the Soviet period, as parishioners with the clergy sent a million rubles to JV Stalin for the needs of soldiers of the Great Patriotic War.
- Jerusalem Women's Exaltation Monastery. Built by the eighteen sixty-fifth year in the Domodedovo district of the Moscow region. Previously, there was an almshouse, which eventually turned into a community, on the territory of which three churches were built: Our Lady of the Assumption, the Mother of God of Jerusalem, and the third temple, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (an icon depicting the cross and the image of the Virgin Mary was in every church) . In Soviet times, the monastery was closed, but already in the years of perestroika (1992) was transferred to the Moscow Patriarchate to continue religious activity.
- Brusensky Assumption convent. Located in Kolomna, Moscow Region. It was originally founded by the year fifteen hundred and fifty-second as a male temple, but existed in this form until the Time of Troubles. The convent, despite many religious buildings, was closed by the Soviet authorities and then partially destroyed. Since 1997, the buildings began to be restored, and by 2006 the entire monastery was restored.
- Kolomenskaya church "Exaltation of the Holy Cross". Prayer has been held in the church holiday of the same name since 1764. But seventy-three years later, the church was rebuilt at the expense of the sisters N.K. Kolesnikova and M.K. Sharapova. Under Soviet rule, a cardboard factory was located here. Today the church acts as an object of cultural heritage of Russia.
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- Moscow Holy Cross Monastery on the Arbat. The first construction of the religious site took place in 1540 in connection with the date of delivery of the shrines, including the "Exaltation of the Holy Cross" (icon). Seven years later, the monastery burns down. For many years the church was erected again and again by different rulers after the military defeats, but it was finally destroyed by the Bolsheviks.
- Armenian Holy Cross Church. Built in 1782 in Moscow at the expense of Ivan Lazarev, designed by architect Yuri Felten. The Soviet authorities demolished this object, and then built a school.
- Tula Exaltation Church. Originally a wooden church arose in 1611. Eighty-five years later, a fire burned down all the buildings. A stone temple was built at this place, which was again equipped with all the shrines (there was immediately the Tolgskaya icon of the Mother of God, the border of Tikhon of Voronezh, as well as the icon "Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord"). Photos of the temple can only be found in historical chronicles. The Bolsheviks demolished all religious buildings and created Krestovozdvizhensky Square on its territory.
The exaltation of the Holy Cross is an important feast among Christians. The triumph among Catholics and Orthodox has differences, but they have the same meaning. It is important to maintain faith and love for God, to glorify his name for suffering.