William Young Ottley (Thatcham 1771-1836 London)

St Helen, or Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, is said to have discovered the True Cross. Following her son's edict of 313 AD, which announced the official recognition of Christianity by the Roman Empire, she devoted herself to the establishment of Christian churches in the Holy Land. There, according to legend, she discovered the three crosses of Golgotha on which Christ and two criminals had been crucified. A human corpse was placed in contact with each of the crosses in turn, and on touching one of them, the body was miraculously revived, thus proving which was the True Cross.