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The feast day for the Exaltation of the True Cross is celebrated on September the 14th. This celebration is based on the finding of the cross of the crucifixion by St. Helena in fourth century Jerusalem and the subsequent raising of the cross at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre by Patriarch Macarius on the day of September 14, 347 AD. This icon of the Exaltation fully reveals the significant event although its composition deviates from the traditional icon of this subject. Typically, Macarius, dressed in bishop robes, stands on a platform before a multitude of witnesses and solemnly upraises the cross with both hands. Saints Constantine and Helena are usually figured conspicuously amongst the crowd of onlookers. In this icon, St. Constantine and Macarius are standing on the platform together, raising the cross conjointly and St. Helena is shown kneeling before the scene alongside the other witnesses. The expressive faces, elaborately detailed garments, bold colors, and realistic images (note the wood of the cross and the rocky ground) are among the remarkable features of this icon.

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