“Im Kreuz ist Heil” translates to “In the cross is salvation”. This phrase isn’t just words. It’s a powerful declaration.
Im Kreuz ist Heil is a Christian motto. It is also a liturgical acclamation. The saying goes back to the Latin “In cruce salus, in cruce vita, in cruce spes”. Thomas von Kempen used it in “The Imitation of Christ”.
This invocation appears three times in the Gotteslob. Gotteslob is a German Catholic hymnal. Specifically, it is in numbers 296, 563.1, and 569.1. It is an antiphon. It is especially sung during the Easter liturgy on Good Friday. Also, it is sung on the Feast of the Cross Exaltation.
The melody mirrors “Christus gestern, Christus heute, Christus in Ewigkeit”. This translates to “Christ yesterday, Christ today, Christ in eternity”. The Laudes Hincmari from the 8th/9th century is the source of the melody.
Many churches, chapels and wayside crosses are inscribed with this verse. It marks grave crosses too. The Order of the Holy Cross has the motto “In Cruce Salus”. This also means “In the cross is salvation”.
The Limburg Diocese treasures a fragment. It is believed to be a piece of the cross where Jesus died. This relic travels to different locations. It goes from Battenberg to Frankfurt. It also goes from Westerwald to Wiesbaden. Believers gather to celebrate services with the relic.
The relic’s journey concludes in Wiesbaden. At St. Bonifatius Church, people can view the relic up close. This special event occurs on the fifth and final Sunday of Lent.
Legend says Saint Helena found the cross in Jerusalem. She was the mother of Emperor Constantine. She brought it to Constantinople, now Istanbul. Around 964/965, the Staurothek was created. This is an ornate Byzantine reliquary. It encloses the relic.
In 1204, Christian crusaders seized Constantinople. The Staurothek fell into the hands of Knight Heinrich von Ulmen. Upon his return in 1208, he gifted it to Stuben Abbey. This was an Augustinian canonesses’ monastery on the Moselle. It remained there until 1835.
Duke Wilhelm von Nassau presented the Staurothek to the newly founded Diocese of Limburg. Now, the Staurothek and relic are part of the Limburg Diocesan Museum’s permanent exhibition. This fragment is more than wood. It embodies faith, hope and salvation.