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Relics of the Cross and the Crown of Thorns

Nave of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Holy Cross in Jerusalem)
We had an extra day in Rome and decided to see one of the seven pilgrim churches. Santa Croce was our fourth pilgrim church after we visited Santa Maria Maggiore, St. John Lateran, and St. Peter’s. We chose Santa Croce for the simple reason that it was not too far from our hotel. The other three which we sadly missed were St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. Lawrence Outside the Walls and St. Sebastian Outside the Walls.

Main Altar
Santa Croce in Gerusalemme is so called because when St. Helena came back to Rome after her trip to Jerusalem, she brought with her some soil from Mount Calvary where Jesus was crucified. This soil was spread under Santa Croce when she was building a chapel to house the Holy Relics, hence “in Gerusalemme”. St. Helena is the mother of Emperor Constantine (306-337) who was the first Roman emperor to embrace Christianity. He issued the Edict of Milan which granted his people the right to practice their Christian religion and stopped the persecution of Christians.

The fresco on the apse behind the altar tells the story of Helena’s quest for the True Cross in Jerusalem.

Nave vault of Santa Croce with fresco by Corrado Giaquinto, 1744
This is the fresco of the Virgin Mary Presenting St. Helena and Constantine to the Trinity. Constantine is shown kneeling in front of Mary while Helena is standing beside him. The coat of arms belong to Pope Benedict XIV who extensively renovated the Basilica in the 18th century and added the new façade.

Reliquaries in the Chapel of Relics*
These are the relics brought by St. Helena to Rome in the 4th century. 

Reliquary of the True Cross*
These are fragments of the cross on which Jesus was crucified.

Relic of the finger of St. Thomas the Apostle (left), 
One of the three nails from the Crucifixion (center)
2 Thorns from the Crown of Thorns (right)*

Relic of a Nail from the Cross (l) and the Titularis Crucis (r)
The Titularis Crucis (Title of the Cross) is a piece of wood which was attached on top of the cross of Jesus. It says Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. However, radiocarbon testing of the wood revealed that it dates back to the 10th-11th century, much later than the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. So this is most probably a copy. 
Chapel of St. Helena
This Chapel is in the lower level of the Basilica and was part of the palatial residence of St. Helena. The statue of Juno which was found in Ostia was used to represent St. Helena in the 18th century. (In Roman mythology, Juno is the Goddess associated with women, marriage and childbirth. She is also the protector of the state. Juno was the sister and wife of Jupiter.) 

Fresco in the Chapel of St. Helena
Jesus is surrounded by the four evangelists

Chapel of St. Gregory
The Chapel of St. Gregory is connected to the Chapel of St. Helena. 

Altar of St. Gregory Chapel with Pieta on white marble in the background

Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme
This façade from the 18th century was the work of Domenico Gregorini and Pietro Passalacqua. Statues of the four evangelists, St. Helena (holding the cross) and Constantine (far right) together with two angels who are worshipping the Cross, crown the façade.

Aurelian Walls from 217-275 A.D.
The area behind the walls was part of the palatial complex where St. Helena lived. It included the Circo Variano and later, the Castrense Amphitheater which was built between 271-275 AD. Before Emperor Constantine moved his capital to Constantinople in 324 AD, he renovated the complex and called it the Sessorianum. St. Helena converted part of the palace into a chapel to house the relics she brought from the Holy Land. The current Basilica is built on the foundation of that chapel.

In the past, pilgrims used to walk the twelve-mile long stretch of road linking all seven pilgrim churches of Rome. It was a tradition that began in the 16th century. Today, the visitation of the seven churches is alive and practiced on Maundy Thirsday during Holy Week in many Catholic countries. It is called Visita Iglesia. During the celebration of the Holy Year 2025, you might wish to do this visitation as part of your itinerary. You dont need to go on foot.  

How to get there:
Piazza di Santa Croce
Bus #105 and 649 from Termini Station
Tram #14
check rome2rio.com for more options

I found a wealth of information about Santa Croce in Gerusalemme on this website: romeartlover.it

*I wish to thank MAJ2025 for the images of relics posted here.

Stay connected


*****

Images by TravelswithCharie unless otherwise noted


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Location: Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Italy

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