One of the holiest relics of the Catholic Church, the Crux Vaticana is the oldest known reliquary of the true cross, which Emperor Constantine’s mother, Helena, claimed to have discovered in Jerusalem in the fourth century. It was gifted to the people of Rome by Emperor Justin II and Empress Sophia in the late sixth century and has been used as a processional cross during Christmas and Easter services in Rome for more than a millennium. The cross has been restored several times, most recently in 2009. This photo, which predates the last restoration, shows the accumulated wear and tarnish […]
