August 1 – The Origin of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross
The name of this feast can be confusing for modern people, who might think it refers to the origin of the wooden pieces of the Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Church interpreters of Scripture and theologians have long viewed a passage from the Book of Isaiah as a prophecy about the Lord’s Cross: “The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, cypress, pine, and cedar together, to adorn the place of my sanctuary, and I will glorify the place where my feet rest.” Based on this, a tradition arose among Christians that the Cross was made from three types of wood: cypress, pine, and cedar. This belief is reflected in church hymns, such as: “Upon cypress, pine, and cedar were you lifted up, O Lamb of God, to save those who worship your voluntary crucifixion.” There are also interpretations, found in various manuscript collections, that connect the wood of the Cross to Old Testament figures like Abraham, Lot, or King Solomon and the temple he built. These stories cannot be proven or disproven. The wood of the Cross, found during the time of Empress Elena—almost three centuries after Christ’s crucifixion—on Golgotha, alongside the crosses of the thieves crucified with Him, had no distinguishing features. It was identified only through a miracle: touching the Lord’s Cross brought a deceased girl back to life. Thus, the importance lies not in the material of the Cross, nor in who handled it or how it was used before, but in the fact that Christ sanctified it with His blood, shed for the world’s salvation.
The feast of the Origin of the Precious Cross has a specific meaning. Here, “origin” refers to a solemn procession with crosses and holy icons, which began in Constantinople on August 1 during the time of Patriarch Photius. In August, seasonal fevers (malaria) killed thousands in southern regions each year, so a custom was established to hold intense prayers before the Precious Cross in the city streets to protect Christians from this disease. On the eve of the feast (July 31), the Precious Cross was taken from the imperial treasury and placed on the holy altar of Hagia Sophia, the Church of Divine Wisdom. From August 1 until the feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy God-bearer, the Cross was carried through streets and squares in processions. Wells and springs were blessed, and clergy sprinkled homes and public buildings with holy water.
In Russian liturgical books, this day also includes a solemn service to the All-Merciful Savior, which is why the feast is popularly called the “First Savior” (the second and third being the feasts of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Transfer of the Holy Mandylion, respectively). According to the Prologue, this feast was established because, in 1164, Grand Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky marched from Vladimir against the Volga Bulgars, a Muslim people living along the middle Volga, while Byzantine Emperor Manuel campaigned against the Saracens (Seljuk Turks). The Prologue states that before the battles, both Christian armies witnessed the same sign, which their leaders saw as a message of God’s favor and coming victory. From the icons of Jesus Christ and the Most Pure God-bearer, carried before the armies, rays of divine light shone, illuminating the Christian ranks. Inspired by these sacred signs, both armies defeated their enemies, and this display of God’s power was established as a church feast.
There is another reason to celebrate this day. Chronicles record that on August 1, 988, Prince Vladimir and his retinue were baptized in the city of Korsun (Chersonese). While military victories are fleeting, and defeats often follow triumphs (as with Rus, which, seventy years after Andrey’s victories, suffered a devastating Tatar invasion and two centuries of their rule), the baptism of Rus is a victory with eternal fruits, found in Christ’s eternal Kingdom, opened to generations of Russian Christians. This may be the primary reason to offer grateful prayers on the feast of the All-Merciful Savior.
Reflecting on this event—a great victory of Christ on earth—Metropolitan Hilarion of Kiev, one of the early figures of the Russian Church, addressed Prince Vladimir in his famous Sermon on Law and Grace with heartfelt praise:
“What name shall we give you, lover of Christ? Champion of truth, vessel of wisdom, haven of mercy! How did you come to believe? How were you set ablaze with love for Christ? How did a mind greater than earthly scholars enter you, so that you loved the Invisible and reached for the heavenly? How did you seek Christ, how did you surrender to Him? […] Where did you catch the scent of the Holy Spirit? Where did you drink from the sweet cup of the life to come? Where did you taste and see that the Lord is good? You didn’t see Christ, you didn’t follow Him—how then did you become His disciple? Others saw Him and still didn’t believe. But you, without seeing, believed. Truly, the blessing of the Lord Jesus, spoken to Thomas, was fulfilled in you: ‘Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’ […] The Savior Himself called you blessed, for you believed in Him and were not offended by Him, as He truly said: ‘…and blessed is the one who is not offended by me.’ Those who knew the Law and the prophets crucified Him. But you, who honored neither Law nor prophets, worshipped the Crucified. […] How did the fear of God enter you, how were you filled with love for Him? You saw no apostle come to your land to humble your heart. You saw no demons cast out in the name of Jesus Christ, no sick healed, no mute speaking, no fire turned to cold, no dead rising—seeing none of these, how did you believe? What a marvel! Other kings and rulers, seeing these things done by holy men, did not believe but instead subjected them to torment and suffering. But you, blessed one, without witnessing any of this, ran to Christ, understanding through clear reasoning alone that there is One God, Creator of the invisible and visible, of heaven and earth, and that He sent His beloved Son into the world for its salvation. […] What seems foolishness to others became for you the power of God.”
With joyful wonder, speaking of the prince’s conversion as a great miracle, Saint Hilarion marvels at the mystery of gaining faith, which is always a miracle and a gift of grace—for the great and the small, the worthy and the unworthy. The seed of God’s word, as the parable says, grows differently on stones, among thorns, and in fertile soil, producing different fruits, but the seed itself is always divine, even when human hearts reject it or accept it superficially. Let us be good soil for the Divine Sower, and whether we inherited the Christian faith from our ancestors long ago or found it recently, let us see in its truths and commandments an ongoing miracle of boundless, saving mercy.
Tropar, Tone 8:
Beholding from on high, receiving the lowly, look down, O Saviour, and visit us who are afflicted with sins, O Master All-Merciful, through the intercessions of the God-bearer, grant unto our souls great mercy.
Kondak, Tone 4:
Of all defilement, O All-Merciful Saviour, I have been a worker, and into the pit of despair have I fallen. Yet from my heart I groan, and unto Thee, O Word, I cry: Hasten, O Bountiful One, and make speed to our aid, for Thou art merciful.
Ikos:
Having Thee, O All-Merciful Saviour, as a mighty stronghold, and Thy Most Pure Mother as a wall unshaken, we fear not ever the assaults of foes. For by Thy wisdom invisible we are kept and covered, vanquishing enemies both seen and unseen. Having Thy Most Pure Mother as our succour, we escape the wiles of foes as from a snare. With joy we sing, O Most Joyous One: Hasten, O Bountiful One, and make speed to our aid, for Thou art merciful.