I don't doubt that they did, but my point is that they believed the pieces to be of the True Cross. There was no way for them to know the pieces really were. Do we have any way of proving that they were?
Before you even answer, why does it matter? If we believe they are, then they represent the icon of the True Cross. As all icons it takes ut spiritually to the True Cross, and that is what matters. In either case, the pilgrims venerated the True Cross, whether it was physically true or not, the way we partake of the Mysteries as the Body and Blood of Christ no matter what they appear or taste like.
To a nonebeliever, the relics mean nothing and the Eucharist is "just bread and wine." It's not reason, but all and always blind faith that brings us to God.
Excellent points. From a theological viewpoint, all relics, genuine or spurious, are useful so long as our faith brings us to God.
My only point was that, given the antiquity and contemporary nature of the tradition, dismissal of the story of the discovery of the True Cross as a mere "legend" seems a little harsh.
Is my faith dependent on those relics--or any relics--being genuine? No, of course not. But I am interested in the truth.