Invention of the Holy Cross

Inspired by a post by @Jonah on Micro.blog, I looked into the art of Daniel Matsui.

One of the images that captured my attention was the "INVENTION of the HOLY CROSS."

The image came with some apocraphyal stories to which I have become accustomed in the Orthodox Church.

In the year AD 326, St. Helen, the mother of the emperor Constantine, travelled to Jerusalem to seek the True Cross. One of the scholars of the city knew its location: a hill upon which a temple dedicated to Venus had been built. This was a secret that had been passed down through his family since the time of the Passion. Helen had the temple razed and the ground excavated; there, three crosses were found. To distinguish the cross of Jesus Christ from the crosses of the two thieves, each was held over a corpse. The deceased came to life upon contact with the True Cross.

Matsui also includes an explanation of his rendering of particular elements.