Santa Croce in Gerusalemme
| Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Italian) Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem Basilica Sanctae Crucis in Hierusalem (Latin) |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Rome, Italy |
| Geographic coordinates | 41°53′16″N 12°30′59″E / 41.88778°N 12.51639°ECoordinates: 41°53′16″N 12°30′59″E / 41.88778°N 12.51639°E |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Latin |
| District | Rome |
| Province | Rome |
| Year consecrated | ca. 325 |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Minor basilica |
| Leadership | Miloslav Vlk |
| Website | Official website |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Baroque |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | WNW |
| Length | 70 metres (230 ft) |
| Width | 37 metres (121 ft) |
The Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem or Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, (Latin: Basilica Sanctae Crucis in Hierusalem) is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and titular church in rione Esquilino, Rome, Italy. It is one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome.
According to tradition, the basilica was consecrated circa 325 to house the relics of the Passion of Jesus Christ brought to Rome from the Holy Land by Empress St. Helena, mother of Roman Emperor Constantine I. At that time, the Basilica's floor was covered with soil from Jerusalem, thus acquiring the title in Hierusalem; it is not dedicated to the Holy Cross which is in Jerusalem, but the Basilica itself is "in Jerusalem" in the sense that a "piece" of Jerusalem was moved to Rome for its foundation. The current Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Crucis in Hierusalem is Miloslav Vlk.
At one time the site of the temple of El Gabal, or Sol Invictus, the god of Emperor Elagabalus, the Basilica was later built around a room in Empress St. Helena's imperial palace, the Palazzo Sessoriano, which she converted into a chapel circa AD 320. Some decades later, the chapel was converted into a basilica, called the Heleniana or Sessoriana. After falling into neglect, the Pope Lucius II (1144-5) restored the Basilica. It assumed a Romanesque appearance, with a nave, two aisles, belfry, and porch.
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