Excavation on the Hill

St. Helena

An icon of St. Helena

Church of the Holy Sepluchre, the church built on the site where Christ was crucified

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, the basilica built on the dirt from Jerusalem that St. Helena brought back to Rome

Relics of the Passion on display in Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. Clockwise from top left: wood from the True Cross; the Titulus, the sign hung over Jesus’ head reading: The King of the Jews; fragment of the pillar of scourging, the tomb, and the manger; thorns from the crown of thorns; one of the nails from the Crucifixion.