All the best legends have some basis in fact. In most cases the facts are few, but even armed with the most modern scientific knowledge and with reams of historical research at our disposal we are often reluctant to dismiss these stories out of hand.

St. Helena began life as a barmaid, a polite euphemism for a much older profession. She became the mistress of a dashing young army officer by the name of Constantius, by whom she bore a son Constantine. In 307 AD, by employing both fair means and foul, Constantine became Emperor of the Roman Empire. He converted to Christianity after seeing visions which foretold victory in battle if he gave up the old pagan religions. Helena, by now a very influential lady, also converted to this new religion.

Helena embraced Christianity with such zeal that she embarked on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land where she founded a great many churches. Whilst in Jerusalem she had a vision in which the whereabouts of the True Cross was revealed to her and she ordered excavations to be made.

Amazingly, three crosses were uncovered but which was the True Cross? To determine the answer to this most important question a sick woman was made to lie down on each cross in turn. The first two crosses has no effect on her health, but when she lay on the third cross she was miraculously cured. Also, in the same pit from which the crosses had been dug, a plaque was found bearing the inscription TNRJ (Iesus Nazarenus Rex Judaeorum). The nails, which were still in the cross, Helena sent to Constantine who was thrilled and had them made into a bit for the bridle of his warhorse.

The cross itself was broken into several pieces. Some were put into silver caskets and placed in a church which Helena ordered to be built on the spot where the cross was found. Part of the cross was sent to Constantinople. Today some of the cross can still be seen in the church of St. Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome.

There is an interesting sequel to this tale. In the seventh century the cross was paraded from Constantinople to Jerusalem. Before its journey began a fragment of the cross was burned and the ground up ash was mixed with clay which was used to make terracotta pilgrim tokens which were distributed along the route. Each token portrays SS Peter and Paul either side of a cross and is said to contain part of the True Cross. Many of these tokens survive to this day.

So what is the truth? The church in Jerusalem grew very wealthy on the strength of St. Helena finding the cross. So was the woman who lay on the cross really ill or was she taking part in an elaborate hoax? None of the True Cross stories appear until well after Helena’s death in 330 AD. Were they complete fabrication or are we all in danger of seeing lies when the truth is staring us in the face?

Janet Porter