The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is celebrated annually on September 27

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is celebrated annually on September 27 (September 14, old style) and is one of the twelve major feasts of the Orthodox Church. History of the Discovery of the Cross. According to church tradition, in 326, Saint Helena (mother of Emperor Constantine the Great) organized excavations in Jerusalem near Mount Golgotha. Three crosses were found there. The True Cross of Christ was identified by a miracle—the healing of a sick woman and the resurrection of a dead man upon touching the cross. Since the crowd could not see the relic, Bishop Macarius of Jerusalem raised ("exalted") the cross, turning it toward all directions. The celebration began with the consecration of the Basilica of the Resurrection of Christ (the Church of the Holy Sepulchre), built by Constantine on Golgotha. The consecration itself took place on September 13, and the following day, September 14, the solemn raising of the Cross took place. In 614, the Persian king Khosrow captured Jerusalem and took the relic to Ctesiphon. In 628, the Byzantine emperor Heraclius defeated the Persians, returned the Cross to Jerusalem, and personally raised it in 629–631. The cross is a symbol of the victory of life over death and the salvation of humanity. On the feast day, a strict one-day fast is observed in memory of Christ's suffering on the cross. On this day, it is customary to decorate the cross with red flowers in churches. The cross is brought to the center of the church for veneration, and priests wear purple or dark red vestments.