| Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem | |
|---|---|
Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme Basilica Sanctae Crucis in Hierusalem | |
 Santa Croce in Gerusalemme at night | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| 41°53′16″N12°30′59″E / 41.8878°N 12.5164°E /41.8878; 12.5164 | |
| Location | Piazza di S. Croce in Gerusalemme,Rome, Italy |
| Language | Italian |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Tradition | Latin Church |
| Religious order | Cistercians (1561–2011) |
| Website | santacroceroma |
| History | |
| Status | Minor basilica,titular church |
| Dedication | True Cross |
| Consecrated | c. 325 |
| Relics held |
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| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Baroque |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 70 metres (230 ft) |
| Width | 37 metres (121 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Rome |
TheBasilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem orBasilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Latin:Basilica Sanctae Crucis in Hierusalem) is aCatholicminor basilica andtitular church in therione ofEsquilino,Rome, Italy. It is one of theSeven Pilgrim Churches of Rome.
According to Christian tradition, the basilica was consecrated circa 325 to house therelics of thePassion of Jesus Christ brought to Rome from theHoly Land byEmpress Helena, mother of RomanEmperor Constantine I. The basilica's floor was supposed to be covered with a handfull of soil fromJerusalem,[1] thus acquiring the titlein Hierusalem; it is not dedicated to the Holy Crossof Jerusalem, but is considered in a sense to bein Jerusalem (much in the way that anembassy is considered extraterritorial). Between 1561 and 2011 it was theconventual church of an adjacent and now dissolvedabbey ofCistercian monks whose aesthetic simplicity greatly influenced the basilica's interior. The church is now run directly by theDiocese of Rome. The currentcardinal priest of the church isJuan José Omella.
Thebasilica is built on the foundations of animperial villa calledHorti Variani ad Spem Veterem which was begun by the EmperorSeptimius Severus and finished by the EmperorElagabalus in the third century. The site included theAmphitheatrum Castrense, theCircus Varianus and the Eleniane Baths (so called after the restoration carried out by theEmpress Helena). It contained a residential nucleus in which there was a large hall (later forming the basis for the basilica) and anapsed hall.
The villa was deprived of some of its material when theAurelian Walls were constructed in 272. At the beginning of the fourth century the palace was chosen as a residence by Helena, mother ofConstantine, with the nameSessorium (Italian:Palazzo Sessoriano). The name Sessorium comes from the Latinsedeo, orsiedo, since in thelate imperial era the imperial council used to meet in theaula regia, a reception hall (or throne room) of the palace. It was on Helena's initiative that the large rectangular hall was transformed into a Christian basilica around 320, originally covered by a flat ceiling, illuminated by twenty windows placed five on each side and with valuable marble decoration in the lower register.[2] Helena had some soil fromCalvary dispersed. The Sessorium's larger civil hall, built in the style of a three-aisled columnedbasilica, is still partially preserved as a free-standing apse ruin.
The basilica was declared atitular church byPope Gregory I in 523. Despite the fact it was located on the outskirts of Rome, it became a destination of regular pilgrimage, thanks to the popularity of the relics it kept. In the eighth century, the basilica was restored byPope Gregory II.[3] After the Basilica fell into neglect,Pope Lucius II restored it in the 12th century, giving it aRomanesque appearance, with a nave, two aisles,belfry, and porch. TheCosmatesque pavement dates from this period. Of the eight original floors of the bell tower, only the last four remain visible; the first four floors are instead incorporated into the monastery below.
The foundation of the monastery dates to the 10th century. Over the centuries, various religious communities have alternated in the complex.Pope Leo IX, in 1049, entrusted the monastery to the Benedictines of Montecassino. In 1062Pope Alexander II installed theCanons Regular ofSan Frediano di Lucca, who abandoned it during the period of theAvignonese papacy. Around 1370,Pope Urban V assigned Santa Croce to theCarthusians, who remained there until 1561, when the LombardCistercians of the Congregation of Saint Bernard took over. This congregation was finally suppressed in 2011 by a decree of theCongregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, after an inquiry found evidence of liturgical and financial irregularities as well as irregular lifestyle.[4]
Throughout the course of the Middle Ages the basilica was a popular destination for pilgrimages, particularly of a penitential type, and especially during the period ofLent. OnGood Friday popes themselves walked barefoot, as a sign of penance, along the road that connected Saint John Lateran (official Cathedral of Rome) to the basilica of Santa Croce to come and venerate the relic of the Passion of Jesus. This tradition was then taken up by the Roman Missal and integrated into the Liturgy of Good Friday, which includes a period of adoration of the cross.
In the vault is a mosaic designed byMelozzo da Forlì, created some time before 1485 and depictingJesus Blessing,Histories of the Cross, and various saints. The altar has a large statue of St. Helena, which was created by adapting an ancient statue of the Roman goddessJuno discovered atOstia. The basilica was further modified in the 16th century.
In 1601, during his first stay in Rome,Peter Paul Rubens was commissioned by ArchdukeAlbert of Austria to paint his first altarpiece,St. Helena with the True Cross, for one of the side chapels.[5] Two of the side panels,St. Helena with the True Cross andThe Mocking of Christ, are now inGrasse,France. The third,The Elevation of the Cross, has been lost. The church assumed its current late Baroque appearance underPope Benedict XIV (1740–58), who had been its titular, prior to his elevation to the Papacy. This eighteenth-century restructuring led to a total renewal of the interior, with the vault painted byCorrado Giaquinto (a celebrated artist of the time). Finally, new streets were also opened to connect the Basilica toSan Giovanni in Laterano andSanta Maria Maggiore. The façade of the Basilica, which was designed by Pietro Passalacqua and Domenico Gregorini, shares the typical late RomanBaroque style of these other basilicas.[6]
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Several famous relics of disputed authenticity are housed in theCappella delle Reliquie, built in 1930 by architectFlorestano Di Fausto, including part of theElogium orTitulus Crucis, i.e. the panel which was hung on Christ's Cross (generally either ignored by scholars[7] or considered to be a medieval forgery[8]); two thorns of theCrown of Thorns; part of a nail; the index finger of St. Thomas; and three small wooden pieces of theTrue Cross. A much larger piece of the True Cross was taken from the Basilica on the instructions ofPope Urban VIII in 1629 toSt. Peter's Basilica, where it is kept near the colossal statue of St. Empress Helena sculpted byAndrea Bolgi in 1639.[9]
The apse of the Basilica includes frescoes telling theLegends of the True Cross, attributed toMelozzo,Antoniazzo Romano, andMarco Palmezzano. The Museum of the Basilica houses a mosaic icon which, according to the legend,Pope Gregory I had made after a vision of Christ. The icon, however, is believed to have been given to the Basilica around 1385 byRaimondo Del Balzo Orsini.[10] Notable also is the tomb of CardinalFrancisco de Quiñones sculpted byJacopo Sansovino in 1536.
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Media related toSanta Croce in Gerusalemme at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by Santa Croce in Via Flaminia | Landmarks of Rome Santa Croce in Gerusalemme | Succeeded by Sant'Eugenio |
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