Church of Vera Cruz in Segovia

If you are looking for a church with extraordinary architecture and rich history in Segovia, you cannot miss the Iglesia de la Vera Cruz, or the Church of the Holy Cross. It is a Romanesque-style temple, built in the 12th century, located on a hill from where a beautiful view of the city and its surroundings unfolds. This church belonged to the Knights Order of St. John of Jerusalem, which later changed its name to the Order of Malta.




The Church of the Holy Cross has an unusual, dodecagonal structure, which refers to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Inside the church, there is a cylindrical templete, a small chapel, which houses a reliquary with a fragment of the cross on which Christ died.




This relic was donated to the church by King Alfonso VIII in 1208, as a thank you for the order’s help in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. In the templete, there are also two tombs, belonging to the founders of the church: Count Raimundo de Borgoña and his wife, Infanta Urraca, daughter of King Alfonso VI.




The interior of the church is modest and simple, but not devoid of charm and artistic value. It is worth paying attention to the main altar, which is the work of an anonymous painter from the 15th century, known as the Master of 11,000 Virgins. It is a polyptych, a multi-part painting, which depicts scenes from the Passion and Resurrection of Christ, as well as figures of saints and angels. This painting is considered one of the most valuable examples of Gothic painting in Spain. The church also has a beautiful baptismal font from the 12th century, which is decorated with reliefs with plant and animal motifs.

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