Are fragments of the True Cross real?
"The pieces came all together from olive." It is possible that many alleged pieces of the True Cross are forgeries, created by travelling merchants in the Middle Ages, during which period a thriving trade in manufactured relics existed.
Pieces of the purported True Cross, including half of the INRI inscription tablet, are preserved at the basilica Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome. Other small pieces of the True Cross are reportedly preserved in hundreds of other European churches.
Helena, later known as Flavia Julia Helena Augusta, mother of Constantine the Great, was credited after her death with having discovered the fragments of the Cross and the tomb in which Jesus was buried at Golgotha.
True Cross, Christian relic, reputedly the wood of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Legend relates that the True Cross was found by St. Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land about 326.
Prior to the Seventh Crusade, Louis IX of France bought from Baldwin II of Constantinople what was venerated as Jesus' Crown of Thorns. It is kept in Paris to this day, in the Louvre Museum.
The Holy Grail is the cup believed to have been used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper. But do you know that officially recognized by Vatican Holy Grail is housed in its own chapel at the Cathedral of Valencia?
Jesus' Crown of Thorns
The famous Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris houses several relics from Jesus' passion, including the Crown of Thorns placed upon his head, as well as a piece of Jesus' cross and a nail used in the crucifixion.
And based on the fragments he was allowed to examine by microscope, de Fleury concluded the true cross was made of pine wood. Later, four cross particles were also microscopically examined – part of ten pieces of the true cross, accompanied by documentary proofs from Byzantine emperors.
As legend has it, the cross on which Jesus was crucified was made from a dogwood tree. God decreed that the dogwood tree would from that day forth never grow large enough to be used to make a cross. Thus, the dogwood tree is a small, under story tree.
The True Cross became famous over the centuries as it performed miracle after miracle. According to the legend, the Sassanian king Chosroes II (590-628; Khosrau in Persian) coveting its power, stole the relic and used it to subjugate his citizens.
Is the True Cross in Ethiopia?
Meskel is celebrated as a grand religious occasion among the Ethiopian Orthodox believers because it is believed that a part of the True Cross has been brought to Ethiopia.
The Gero Cross or Gero Crucifix (German: Gero-Kreuz), of around 965–970, is the oldest large sculpture of the crucified Christ north of the Alps, and has always been displayed in Cologne Cathedral in Germany.

Cristo Negro (Black Christ; also known as "Nazareno"; nicknames, "Naza", "el Negro", "el Negrito", "el Cristo", and "el Santo") is a wooden statue of Jesus Christ in Iglesia de San Felipe, a Roman Catholic parish church located in Portobelo, Panama.
The Edicule in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre is traditionally believed to be the site of Jesus' tomb. A $4 million restoration project, led by a Greek team, has cleaned and reinforced the structure.
He may have stood about 5-ft.-5-in. (166 cm) tall, the average man's height at the time.
In their newly published book “Los Reyes del Grial” (“The Kings of the Grail”), medieval history lecturer Margarita Torres and art historian José Miguel Ortega del Rio claim the Holy Grail rests inside the Basilica of San Isidoro in the northern Spanish city of León.
The Grail is initially guarded in a magical castle by a character called the Fisher King, who is in constant pain from a wound to his leg, divine punishment for his failure to remain chaste.
Grail | |
---|---|
Genre | Chivalric romance |
In-universe information | |
Type | Religious relic |
Owners | Perceval and his sister, Grail Family (Fisher King, Grail Maiden), Joseph of Arimathea, Knights of the Round Table (Galahad, Bors), Morgan |
The Garden Tomb is a rock-cut tomb in Jerusalem, which was unearthed in 1867 and is considered by some Protestants to be the tomb of Jesus. The tomb has been dated by Israeli archaeologist Gabriel Barkay to the 8th–7th centuries BC.
The Titulus Crucis (Latin for "Title of the Cross") is a piece of wood kept in the Church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome which is claimed to be the titulus (title panel) of the True Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. It is venerated by some Catholics as a relic associated with Jesus.
Is the crucifixion real?
The crucifixion and death of Jesus occurred in 1st-century Judea, most likely in AD 30 or AD 33. It is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament epistles, attested to by other ancient sources, and considered an established historical event to mostly Christian historians.
It is Collins' view that the relevant texts of the Old and New Testament, as well as ancient non-canonical Jewish writings, strongly suggest Adam and Eve were actual persons.
The cave of Machpelah, in the West Bank city of Hebron, is the burial place of the Matriarchs and Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah. According to Jewish mystical tradition, it's also the entrance to the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve are buried.
Nails venerated as those of Jesus's crucifixion
In the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome (spike of a nail). In the Holy Lance of the German imperial regalia in the Hofburg Palace in Vienna. In the Iron Crown of Lombardy in the Cathedral of Monza. In the treasury of Trier Cathedral.
As legend has it, the cross on which Jesus was crucified was made from a dogwood tree. God decreed that the dogwood tree would from that day forth never grow large enough to be used to make a cross.
Various plants have been proposed as the source of the crown of thorns the New Testament says was placed on Christ's head in the lead-up to the crucifixion, and no-one knows for certain. But the consensus among Christian scholars tends toward Ziziphus Spina-Christi.
It was placed in Gishen in the mid 15th century Ethiopian Calendar (on September 30 in Gregorian Calander) The Holy Church of Egziabhier Ab ( translates to God the father) stood, for over many hundreds of years now, where the cross is kept; Church of Saint Virgin Mary stands adjacent to it.
Eyesus (Ge'ez: ኢየሱስ ) is an Ethiopian name meaning Joshua. It can also mean Yasu (or Yashu), Yesu, or Jesus.
Meskel (Ge'ez: መስቀል, romanized: Mesk'el) is a Christian holiday in the Ethiopian Orthodox and Eritrean Orthodox churches that commemorates the discovery of the True Cross by the Roman Empress Helena (Saint Helena) in the fourth century.
Archaeological evidence of crucifixion is rare, as victims often didn't receive a proper burial. Additionally, most crucifixions used rope rather than nails to bind the condemned to a cross.
How heavy was Jesus cross?
In 1870, French architect Charles Rohault de Fleury catalogued all known fragments of the true cross. He determined the Jesus cross weighed 165 pounds, was three or four meters high, with a cross beam two meters wide.
We have copies of the manuscripts and throughout history these copies show that the Bible has been transmitted accurately. Despite common skeptical claims that the Bible has often been changed through the centuries, the physical evidence tells another story. The New Testament records are incredibly accurate.