Part of the holy wood of the True Cross of the Lord is placed in the Holy Monastery of Xeropotamos on Mount Athos. In fact, being the largest piece in the world, it is a great blessing for the monastery that hosts it. Both monks and faithful pilgrims alike, draw strength and grace from the holy relic, on which Jesus Christ himself leaned and martyred.
As for its origin, this piece was donated by the Emperor Romanos Lacapenos to the founder of the monastery, Hosios Pavlos Xeropotaminos. Today it is surrounded by a metal frame in the shape of cross and is placed in a case, richly decorated and with a metal lining, in the center of which we can see the holy wood.
In particular, the metal frame surrounding the wood is adorned with diamonds, rubies and emeralds. A small figure of crucified Jesus is placed in the center. Lower down, the nail hole is visible, surrounded by a circle of gemstones.
As for the cover on which the cross rests, it is in relief, rich in holy and angelic figures. To the right of the cross there are depicted St. Helen, St. Pulcheria and St. Theodosios Minor. On the left there are the figures of St. Constantine, St. Paul of Xeropotamos and the Emperor Romanos. In the four corners there are medallions with the figures of the prophets, David, Solomon, Moses and Isaiah. In the center and above the cross, God Almighty is depicted, while lower down the space is filled with cherubim and angelic figures holding the objects of the martyrdom (the spear, the sponge, the hammer and the nails).
On the lid of the crucifixion box there are ten medallions, inside of which there are depicted scenes from the Passion of the Lord. In the center, using the enamel technique, we can see the event of the Crucifixion. Around the perimeter of the crucifixion box there are 40 smaller medallions, on which the figures of the forty martyrs are depicted.
The forty martyrs, in whose memory the monastery is dedicated, helped the monks with their miraculous grace and took care of the maintenance of the place. They appeared in a dream to the Sultan Selim I and asked him to take care of the monastery in exchange for giving him victory in an important battle he was about to fight. And so it was done. After he won his battles, he took care of the monastery and of all the Mount Athos, by serving repeatedly the needs of the monasteries.
