Titulus Cruces (Latin for "Title of the Cross") is a piece of wood claimed in to be a Relic of the True Cross of Christ. It is kept in the church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome. Christian Tradition holds that the relic is part of the cross's Titulus (inscription).

The sign is made of solid Resin and finished to look like Wood as what the actual Cross would have been made from. It measures 9.8 × 5.5 Inch in size, 1 Inch thick and has a weight of 8 Pounds just as the original does. It is inscribed on one side with three lines all saying the same thing in three languages. The first line is in Ancient Hebrew or Jewish, the second line is written in Greek letters, the third in Latin letters. The item can sit on its side or it comes with a hanger to hang on wall. They each say "Jesus the Nazarene king of the Jews." The back has a Metal hanger attached so you can mount on wall. The Title can also sit on a desktop if you wish.

Our Titulus Cruces is part of a Limited, Signed, Numbered Special Edition model that was made from photos of the original. Along with the model you will get a Certificate of Authenticity and a free PDF copy of our latest 68 page book Relics of the Passion of Christ. Inside the book we explain the complete history of real item along with real close up color photos of original item in Rome.

History

The Church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme was built about AD 325 by Saint Helena (the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great) after her pilgrimage to the Holy Land, during which she reportedly located the True Cross and many other Relics which she gave to the new church. The Titulus Crucis is alleged to have been among these relics. At the time of Egeria's pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 383 a "title" (Titulus) was shown as one of the relics at Jerusalem : "A silver-gilt casket is brought in which is the holy wood of the Cross. The casket is opened and (the wood) is taken out, and both the wood of the Cross and the title are placed upon the table." The 6th-century pilgrim Antoninus of Piacenza describes a titulus in Jerusalem and its inscription: it said Hic est rex Iudaeorum ("Here is the king of the Jews"), while the one kept in Rome shows Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum ("Jesus the Nazarene king of the Jews"). He also described the wood as nut.

Sometime before 1145 the relic was placed in a box which has the seal of Cardinal Gherardo Caccianemici dal Orso, raised to the cardinalate in 1124 as Cardinal Priest of this church, who became Pope in 1144, as Lucius II, thus dating the seal. It was apparently forgotten until February 1, 1492, when it was discovered by workmen restoring a mosaic, hidden behind a brick with the inscription Titulus Crucis.