Via Francigena: Rome: Refreshed after a Roman lunch, we continued to Holy Cross in Jerusalem (Santa Croce in Gerusalemme). The church was high on every pilgrim’s itinerary and its present name was given to it during medieval times. In 325 an old Roman palace was consecrated as a church to house the Passion Relics that Helena had brought back from Jerusalem and soil from the Holy Land was used to pack its floor. The present basilica was a large cavernous building with a chapel at either end … [Read more...]