Today, September 27, in Russia Orthodox believers celebrate the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, or the Exaltation of the Cross, which is one of 12 important church holidays.
The celebration is associated with the legend of the discovery of the Cross on which he was crucified Jesus Christ. According to Jewish rules, the instrument of execution was left in the tomb of the deceased, but the apostles placed the cross of Christ next to the other two, on which they crucified the robbers.
The excavations of the main shrine of Christianity were led by the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great ‒ a queen Elena. The exact date of the acquisition of the Holy Cross is not known. Most often it is dated to the year 326. The found relic was divided into two parts: one was left in Jerusalem, the second was sent to Constantinople.
The history of the Jerusalem fragment ends in 1187. Then the crusaders took him with them to battle with the army Saladina. The fate of the Constantinople part also remains unclear. There is a version that it was stolen by the Venetians during the sack of the Byzantine capital in 1204, and then resold. According to another version, the shrine was kept in Constantinople until the arrival of the Turks in 1453. According to the third version, the Cross was constantly fragmented, so its particles can be found in various parts of Europe.
It is believed that particles of the Holy Cross are kept in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Ivanovo. In 2006, a particle of the Cross was even sent into low-Earth orbit.
On this day you are supposed to visit the church and take part in the service. The Exaltation of the Holy Cross is a fast day, so during the celebration it is better to remove meat, fish, eggs and dairy products from the diet.
The clergy recommend refraining from noisy feasts, parties and entertainment, as this day recalls the torment that Jesus endured for the salvation of mankind.
