In Christian tradition, the True Cross is the original wooden cross on which Jesus of Nazareth was crucified.
Christ Crucified by Giotto, c. 1310
The Queen of Sheba venerates the wood from which the Cross will be made (mid 15th-century fresco by Piero della Francesca in San Francesco, Arezzo).
The Finding of the True Cross, Agnolo Gaddi, Florence, 1380
The three crosses are discovered. An injured young man is healed by the True Cross. Fifteenth-century frescoes at the Church of San Francesco, Arezzo by Piero della Francesca.
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpo
True Cross
…The Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches, as well as denominations of the Church of the East, have all claimed to possess relics of the True Cross as objects of veneration. Historians generally dispute the authenticity of the relics, as do Protestant and other Christian churches…
The reliquary and skull of Saint Ivo of Kermartin (St. Yves or St. Ives; 1253–1303), in Tréguier, Brittany, France
Shrine of Saint Lachtin's Arm, 12th century, Irish
An amphora depicting a Greek hero cult in honor of Oedipus (Apulian red-figure, 380–370 BC)
A reliquary at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in the United States, with relics of St. James, St. Matthew, St. Philip, St. Simon, St. Thomas, St. Stephen and other saints