order's foundations. The poem states that when Empress Helena discovered the True Cross, she selected twelve men to protect it. These men wore a cross on their clothes and became members of the Brethren of the Cross. However, they all were killed and the order was liquidated. Five canons from Germany were inspired to restore the order and received approval from Pope Innocent who told them to follow the Rule of St. Augustine. Later accounts embellished the story. For example, one of the twelve men was identified as Judas Cyriacus who later became Bishop of Jerusalem, or that the five men participated in the Third Crusade. The stories of Cletus and Helena were merged by claiming that Helena only restored the order first established by Pope Anacletus. Later stories also added details significant and specific to the individual order. Emblems References Catholic orders and societies Canons regular 12th century