Holy Cross Santa Croce Pilgrim Church Tour

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Holy Cross Santa Croce Pilgrim Church Tour – One of the 7 Pilgrim Churches of Rome

Our Holy Cross / Santa Croce Pilgrim Church Tour is not only one of the 7 Pilgrim Churches made famous by St Philip Neri, but most probably the most spiritually important church in the world – definitely outside of Jerusalem.

The Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem (Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme) was originally built by St Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine. It was established in order to house some of the most important relics of Jesus Christ that had been safeguarded by the nascent Christian community in Jerusalem since the time of the Crucifixion.

Aside from being the Relics of the Passion of Christ, these artefacts are also part of the acts of salvation: the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus.

The great 16th century saint, Philip Neri, understood this only too well and so it is no surprise that he included the Basilica of Santa Croce in his famous 7 Pilgrim Churches of Rome. An ancient journey for those in Rome on pilgrimage, this visitation to the most important 7 Pilgrim Churches in Rome is an ancient tradition and devotion to deepen our commitment and understanding of our own journey of salvation. It should be a fundamental aspect of any pilgrimage to Rome.

Crucis Tours offers this traditional devotional pilgrimage in two ways. Our popular 4-Day 7 Pilgrim Churches package covers all of the churches and much more, over five exhilarating tours in four days. Alternatively, we offer standalone tours of each one that can be spread out over a longer period.

This pilgrim tour of Santa Croce Basilica is one of these shorter standalone tours but it is also possible to see as part of our popular Via Crucis and Early Christianity tours.

This Santa Croce Pilgrim Church Tour begins outside the Basilica where your guide will explain not only the history of the Basilica and how the relics came to be brought from Jerusalem to Rome, but will also delve into their ultimate purpose by helping you understand their role in salvation history from a theological perspective.

Once you have grasped their importance in our Christian lives, your expert guide will then lead you into the ancient Basilica to the tiny chapel of St Helena, built in the 4th Century to strengthen the faith of pilgrims.

From there, you will then make your way to the more modern Relics Chapel where your guide will explain which relics of the Passion of Christ we will venerate. Then once in the chapel you will have the chance to meditate on the enormous role the relics have had in our salvation and pray to God in thanksgiving for his enormous mercy and love in saving us.

The Relics of the Passion of Christ you will be able to mediate before include:

• A fragment of the wall of the Tomb of Christ
• A fragment of the wall of the Cave of the Nativity of Christ
• The finger of St Thomas the Apostle
• Thorns from the Crown of Thorns
• A Sacred Nail of the Crucifixion
• The Titulus of the Holy Cross
• Pieces of the Holy Cross that Jesus was crucified upon
• A life-size photograph of the Holy Shroud that wrapped Jesus in the Tomb.

Understandably this is one of the most important tours on our website.

For those pilgrims who wish to do our other bite-size tours of each of the 7 Pilgrim Churches, please click on the links below.

1. Cathedral of St John Lateran
2. Basilica of St Peter
3. Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls
4. Basilica of St Mary Major
5. Basilica of St Lawrence Outside the Walls
6. Basilica of the St Sebastian Outside the Walls

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