ABSTRACT
According to a legend formulated in the late fourth century, the True Cross was discovered in Jerusalem, then part of the Byzantine Empire, by Helena Augusta, mother of the emperor Constantine I.1 The True Cross, regarded as the visible symbol of Christ’s victory over death, became a symbol of the emperor’s triumph over enemies, and relics of the Cross were prominently featured in imperial ceremonial.2 The Cross was also revered for its apotropaic and protective functions. Byzantine emperors carried fragments of the Cross into battle to insure victory, and hymns sung before military engagements invoked the Cross as a weapon and source of protection.3
