Segovia - La Vera Cruz

A Celtic castle existed here, from which resistance against the Romans originated. The city was nevertheless taken. Afterward, it began to be built as a Roman city and became an important Roman military base.

In the second half of the 5th century, Segovia became part of the Visigoth Empire. From the 8th to the 11th centuries, Segovia was under Moorish possession. In 1085 Alfonso VI conquered the city. From the 13th to the 15th century it was a royal residence.
The church of the "True Cross", formerly known as the Church of Holy Sepulchre, is located to the north of the city and close to the Convent of San Juan de la Cruz.

It consists of a nave with a dodecagonal floor plan that surrounds a small central two-story shrine.

The construction of this temple has traditionally been attributed to the Knights Templars, but it is believed that it was the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and that it depended of the Collegiate church of Santa María la Mayor in Zamora.

The church was dedicated in 1208. In 1531 as a result of the unification of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre with the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, it became dependent on the Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta.

To the original building was added an apse which is now used as a sacristy. Then, the tower, initially separated from the church, was added. Later, three apses were built, giving the church its today's appearance.

In 1951, the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta took possession of it again and is still today in charge of its conservation and custody.

One of the two portals.

Unfortunately, the church, which was probably erected to preserve a cross relic, was closed to visitors at the end of December 2022.