Santa Croce is a Romanesque-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 the piazza of the same name, along via Emilia in the quartiere of Oltretorrente of

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

, 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

First consecrated in 1222, the structure has undergone many modifications that obscure much of the original Romanesque structure. The main changes from 1635-1666 were commissioned by confraternity of St Joseph, and elevated the nave, and constructed a presbytery, dome, and chapel dedicated to the named saint. The nave ceiling is frescoed with episodes of the ''Infancy of Jesus'' and the ''Life of St. Joseph'', painted by

Giovanni Maria Conti Giovanni Maria Conti, also called Giovanni dalla Camera (active 1617–1670) was an Italian painter active during the Baroque period in Parma. Biography He painted the monochrome decoration on the pilasters of the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della ...

, called della Camera, and his assistants Francesco Reti and Antonio Lombardi. The altar has wooden polychrome statues of the Holy Family carved by Angelo Fontana and of the saints Apollonia and Lucia, by Giovanni Battista Merano. In the 1900s, architect Edoardo Collamarini worked to revert the facade of the church to its original Romanesque style.Turismo Parma
, entry on church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Croce Parma Roman Catholic churches in Parma Buildings and structures completed in 1222 Churches completed in the 1220s Romanesque architecture in Parma 13th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy