Finding of the Cross

In 135 AD the Roman Emperor Hadrian filled in the quarry to provide a level area on which he erected a pagan temple.  Nearly 200 years passed, by which time Constantine, a Christian convert, was the Emperor.  And so in 325 AD the Bishop of Jerusalem asked Constantine to demolish the pagan temple and uncover the tomb of Christ.  Hadrian’s temple was demolished and Constantine built a church on the site. (5) An eye witness was Eusebius of Caesarea (6) and from what he writes it is clear that the church was not primarily built to commemorate Our Lord’s death and burial, but as a monument of his Resurrection. (7)

Helena, the mother of Constantine, visited the site in 326 and tradition associates her visit with the discovery of what was believed to be the True Cross – the wood of the Cross on which Jesus was crucified.  The magnificent church was dedicated in 335 AD in a ceremony which took place from September 14th to 21st. (8)

Removal and restoration of the Cross

In 614 Jerusalem was captured by the Persians and it seems that the True Cross was removed from Jerusalem.  However, it was recovered by the Emperor Heraclius and restored to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 630 AD. (9)