Sergius also counseled Heraclius after the death of his wife Eudokia and prior to his marriage to Martina, Heraclius' niece.[8] As such, Sergius developed a close relationship with the Emperor, a connection that would serve him later on. In 614, the Persian army seized Jerusalem, in process damaging the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and capturing the True Cross, originally discovered by the Empress Helena.