One of Rome’s seven pilgrimage churches, the Church of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem was founded in 320 by St Helena, mother of emperor Constantine, on the grounds of her Roman palace. It takes its name from the Christian relics housed here, which St Helena supposedly brought to Rome from Jerusalem – including what are said to be a piece of the cross on which Jesus was crucified and a nail from the crucifixion.
Of particular note are the lovely 15th-century Renaissance apse frescoes representing legends about the origins of Christ's cross.