Santa Croce is a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style,

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church located on Via Fratelli Cervi in the town of

Boretto Boretto ( Reggiano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Emilia in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northwest of Bologna and about northwest of Reggio Emilia.. Boretto borders the following municipalities: ...

in the region of

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

, Italy.

History

The present church was erected at the site of an older

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

church that had an adjacent monastery. In 1716, after many previous tries, the community of ''Villa Arzenago'' (former name of Boretto) obtained permission from Rinaldo III of Modena to erect a church dedicated to the adoration of the

True Cross According to Christian tradition, the True Cross is the real instrument of Jesus' crucifixion, cross on which Jesus of Nazareth was Crucifixion of Jesus, crucified. It is related by numerous historical accounts and Christian mythology, legends ...

. It is said the church has relics of the true cross. The vertical sweep of the facade is striking and the interior has a restrained late-baroque decoration.Boretto tourism office

References

Churches in the province of Reggio Emilia Baroque architecture in Emilia-Romagna 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1716 {{EmiliaRomagna-RC-church-stub