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THE bearer of these letters was no less illustrious a personage than
the mother of the emperor, even she who was glorious in her offspring,
whose piety was celebrated by all; she who brought forth that great
luminary and nurtured him in piety. She did not shrink from the
fatigue of the journey on account of her extreme old age, but undertook
it a little before her death, which occurred in her eightieth year.
When the empress beheld the place where the Saviour suffered, she
immediately ordered the idolatrous temple, which had been there erected
, to be destroyed, and the very earth on which it stood to be
removed. When the tomb, which had been so long concealed, was
discovered, three crosses were seen buried near the Lord's
sepulchre. All held it as certain that one of these crosses was that
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that the other two were those of the
thieves who were crucified with Him. Yet they could not discern to
which of the three the Body of the Lord had been brought nigh, and
which had received the outpouring of His precious Blood. But the
wise and holy Macarius, the president of the city, resolved this
question in the following manner. He caused a lady of rank, who had
been long suffering from disease, to be touched by each of the
crosses, with earnest prayer, and thus discerned the virtue residing
in that of the Saviour. For the instant this cross was brought near
the lady, it expelled the sore disease, and made her whole.
The mother of the emperor, on learning the accomplishment of her
desire, gave orders that a portion of the nails should be inserted in
the royal helmet, in order that the head of her son might be preserved
from the darts of his enemies . The other portion of the nails she
ordered to be formed into the bridle of his horse, not only to ensure
the safety of the emperor, but also to fulfil an ancient prophecy; for
long before Zechariah, the prophet, had predicted that "There shall
be upon the bridles of the horses Holiness unto the Lord Almighty
."
She had part of the cross of our Saviour conveyed to the palace .
The rest was enclosed in a covering of silver, and committed to the
care of the bishop of the city, whom she exhorted to preserve it
carefully, in order that it might be transmitted uninjured to posterity
. She then sent everywhere for workmen and for materials, and caused
the most spacious and most magnificent churches to be erected. It is
unnecessary to describe their beauty and grandeur; for all the pious,
if I may so speak, hasten thither and behold the magnificence of the
buildings .
This celebrated and admirable empress performed another action worthy
of being remembered. She assembled all the women who had vowed
perpetual virginity, and placing them on couches, she herself
fulfilled the duties of a handmaid, serving them with food and handing
them cups and pouring out wine, and bringing a basin and pitcher, and
pouring out water to wash their hands.
After performing these and other laudable actions, the empress
returned to her son, and not long after, she joyfully entered upon the
other and a better life, after having given her son much pious advice
and her fervent parting blessing. Alter her death, those honours were
rendered to her memory which her stedfast and zealous service to God
deserved .
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