In the Orthodox Christian tradition, the cross on which the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified is an altar. It was on it that the second Person of the Holy Trinity Christ did the work of saving man. In Orthodox traditions, the cross is not an instrument of execution, but a symbol of human salvation.
For the Orthodox believer, the question of what material the cross of Christ was made of does not make much sense, since it does not directly affect the creed of the Church and the salvation of man. However, reverent interest in a shrine or a scientific approach leaves a person with the inquisitiveness of his mind to try to find the answer to the question: from what material was the cross made.
Currently, historians and holy fathers of both the first centuries of Christianity and subsequent centuries do not dispute the fact that the Lord’s cross was made of wood. It is no coincidence that in the liturgical literature the cross of Christ is referred to as the "tree" or "tree treasured." Historians suggest that the cross of the Lord could be made of different species of wood. In particular, researchers may point to cypress, olive, oak, palm and cedar.
In the established church tradition, the cross of Christ is called the "three-component tree." This means that the symbol of man’s salvation was made of three trees. So, in the Byzantine tradition, it is believed that the cross of the Lord was made of cypress, singing (pine) and cedar. In particular, a pillar of the cross was made of cypress, a vertical crossbar of crucifix was made of singing, and cedar was used for the foot on which the Lord's feet were located.
In the Byzantine tradition of the threefold composition of the cross of the Savior, there are confirmations in the prophetic words of the Old Testament. The Prophet Isaiah in his book proclaimed: "The glory of Lebanon will come to you, cypress and singing and together a cedar to decorate the place of My sanctuary, and I will glorify the footstep of My feet" (Isa. 60:13).
