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 thei...
“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” - James Michener