a
reference to the
actual wooden
cross on which Jesus
Christ was said to be crucified, consisting of an upright
post and a horizontal crossbar. This
cross was said to have been found (buried) around A.D. 326 along with two others. The True
Cross was determined by stretching a sick woman upon each of the three; the one which brought about her miraculous
recovery was considered the True
Cross. Such stories brought about an adoration and
reverence for the
cross, and fragments were sold and deposited in most of the great cities of the medieval
world and in many abbeys. These relics have been preserved in several European churches and are considered
sacred.