Exaltation of the Cross
Preserved but no longer current.
A feast held in the Roman Catholic Church on September 14th (Holy Cross Day), in commemoration of the victory over the Persians in 627, when Herac- lius recovered and restored to Calvary the cross that had been carried away by Khosroes the Persian.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Exaltation of the Cross” mean?
A feast held in the Roman Catholic Church on September 14th (Holy Cross Day), in commemoration of the victory over the Persians in 627, when Herac- lius recovered and restored to Calvary the cross that had been carried away by Khosroes the Persian.
Is “Exaltation of the Cross” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.