September 14 - Christian liturgical calendars include different Feasts of the Cross, all of which celebrate the Cross that served for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. While Good Friday commemorates the Passion of Christ and his crucifixion, these feast days honor the Cross itself as an instrument of salvation.

This feast is called "Exaltation of the precious and life-giving Cross" and in Latin: "Exaltatio Sanctae Crucis". According to a widespread tradition, the True Cross was discovered in 326 by St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, during a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. By order of Helen and Constantine, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built on the site of the discovery. The church, retaining a portion of the Cross, was consecrated nine years later. In 614, this relic was stolen and taken away by the Persians. Reconquered in 618 by the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, it was first brought back to Constantinople and later returned to Jerusalem.

The date of the feast commemorates the consecration of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in 335. It was then a two-day feast: the church was consecrated on September 13; the relic of the Cross was removed from the church on September 14 and presented for adoration by the faithful.