AUTHENTICATION OF THE RELIC OF THE HOLY CROSS

The church of Our Lady of Victories at the Sablon is privileged to possess a relic of the Holy Cross.

It was found by Saint Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, who was the first to authorise the Christian religion in the Roman Empire.
During her pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 327, Helena discovered the true cross beneath Golgotha. The relic at the Sablon is therefore a piece of this cross, like those venerated in many churches around the world. It is shown to the faithful on the feast of the Holy Cross, which is celebrated liturgically on September 14.
Its authenticity was confirmed by Cardinal Alphonse de Berghes, Archbishop of Malines from 1669 to 1689. It is this parchment with the seal that you see in the display case.