Chapel of Helena

The underground chapel of Helena in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in Jerusalem, commemorates the woman said to have discovered the true cross. Twenty-one steps (behind the low wall at far left) lead further down to another chapel, carved out of a cistern, where Helena is said to have made the find. Neither chapel was part of the original church as designed by Constantine; they were added only when the church was rebuilt in the Crusader period. The elaborate column capitals, carved with basketwork and acanthus leaf designs, date to this period.

Drijvers, Jan Willem, “The True Cross.” Bible Review, Aug 2003.

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