Basilica of Santa Croce, Lecce

About this place

The Basilica of the Holy Cross is a Baroque-style church completed in 1695 in Lecce, Apulia, Italy. Walter VI, Count of Brienne, had founded a monastery in the 14th century in the current church. In 1549, a new church was begun, using, among the others, houses from Jews who had been ousted from Lecce in 1510. The construction dragged on for two centuries; by 1582, the lower façade had been finished, while the dome was completed in 1590. The portals were added starting in 1606, under the direction of Francesco Antonio Zimbalo. The church was completed by his successors Cesare Penna and Giuseppe Zimbalo. As you explore, compare the building itself with its decoration and later additions. Differences in materials, forms and imagery can reveal successive periods of patronage, making the visit a way to understand how religious places evolved over time.