Santa Croce in Gerusalemme

Coordinates: 41°53′16″N 12°30′59″E / 41.8878°N 12.5164°E / 41.8878; 12.5164
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem
Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme
Basilica Sanctae Crucis in Hierusalem
Style
Baroque
Specifications
Length70 metres (230 ft)
Width37 metres (121 ft)
Administration
DioceseRome

The Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem or Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (

Latin: Basilica Sanctae Crucis in Hierusalem) is a Catholic Minor basilica and titular church in rione Esquilino, Rome, Italy. It is one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome
.

According to Christian tradition, the basilica was consecrated circa 325 to house the

Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Crucis in Hierusalem is Juan José Omella
.

History

The basilica is built on the foundations of an imperial villa called Horti Variani ad Spem Veterem which was begun by the Emperor

Empress Helena
). It contained a residential nucleus in which there was a large hall (later forming the basis for the basilica) and an apsed hall.

The villa was deprived of some of its material when the

Empress Helena, mother of Constantine, with the name of Palazzo Sessoriano. The name Sessoriano comes from the Latin sedeo, or "siedo" since in the late imperial era the imperial council used to meet in a hall of the palace. It was on her 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.[1] Helena had some soil from Calvary
dispersed.

The basilica of Santa Croce was declared a titular church by Pope 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 by Pope Gregory II.[2] After the Basilica fell into neglect, Pope Lucius II restored it in the 12th century, giving it a Romanesque appearance, with a nave, two aisles, belfry, and porch. The Cosmatesque 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.

Congregation 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.[3]

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 of Lent. On Good 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 by

Ostia
. The basilica was further modified in the 16th century.

In 1601, during his first stay in Rome,

San Giovanni in Laterano and Santa Maria Maggiore. The façade of the Basilica, which was designed by Pietro Passalacqua and Domenico Gregorini,[5] shares the typical late Roman Baroque
style of these other basilicas.

Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, interior
Renaissance-era engraving of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme
Santa Croce in Gerusalemme surrounded by countryside, 1848 painting

Cappella delle Reliquie

Several famous relics of disputed authenticity are housed in the Cappella delle Reliquie, built in 1930 by architect

Crown of Thorns; part of a nail; the index finger of St. Thomas; and three small wooden pieces of the True Cross. A much larger piece of the True Cross was taken from the Basilica on the instructions of Pope Urban VIII in 1629 to St. Peter's Basilica, where it is kept near the colossal statue of St. Empress Helena sculpted by Andrea Bolgi in 1639.[8]

Other Art

The apse of the Basilica includes frescoes telling the Legends of the True Cross, attributed to

Raimondo Del Balzo Orsini.[9] Notable also is the tomb of Cardinal Francisco de Quiñones sculpted by Jacopo Sansovino
in 1536.

List of Cardinal-Priests

Notes

  1. ISBN 978-0-307-26844-0
    .
  2. ^ "History", The Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem
  3. ^ "Pope shuts down irregular monastery in Rome". BBC News. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
  4. ISBN 9781461659198
  5. ^ "Santa Croce in Gerusalemme Church", World Monuments Fund
  6. ISBN 978-0-19-826928-1
    .
  7. ISBN 978-0-8078-3298-1
    .
  8. ^ Partially referenced by Basilica of St. Peter
  9. ISBN 9781588391131
  10. ^ Ott, Michael. "Pope Lucius II." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 7 November 2017
  11. ^ Shahan, Thomas. "Domenico Capranica." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 7 November 2017
  12. ^ "Miranda, Salvador. "Capranica, Angelo", Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church". Archived from the original on 2018-01-21. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  13. ^ Ott, Michael. "Pedro Gonzalez de Mendoza." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 7 November 2017
  14. ^ Shahan, Thomas. "Bernardino Lopez de Carvajal." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 7 November 2017
  15. ^ "Miranda, Salvador. "Ciocchi del Monte, Antonio Maria", Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church". Archived from the original on 2017-10-28. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  16. ^ "Miranda, Salvador. "Cueva yY Toledo, Bartolomé de la", Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, Florida International University". Archived from the original on 2018-01-05. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  17. ^ "Miranda, Salvador. "Capizucchi, Gianantonio", Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, FIU". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  18. ^ Guilelmus van Gulik and Conradus Eubel, Hierarchia catholica medii et recentioris aevi Volumen tertium, editio altera (ed. L. Schmitz-Kallenberg) (Monasterii 1923), p. 45.
  19. ^ Miranda, Salvador. "Scitovszky, János", Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, Florida International University

References

  • Raimondo Besozzi, La storia della Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Roma: Generoso Salomoni 1750).
  • Marie-Théodore de Busierre, Les sept basiliques de Rome Tome second (Paris: Jacques Lecoffre 1846), pp. 157–178.
  • Paolo Coen, Le Sette Chiese (Rome: Newton Compton). [date missing]
  • Claudio Rendina, La Grande Enciclopedia di Roma (Rome: Newton Compton)[date missing]
  • Belkin, Kristin Lohse (1998). Rubens. Oxford Oxfordshire: Phaidon. pp. 63–6.
    ISBN 0-7148-3412-2
    .

External links

Media related to Santa 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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