Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme historical timeline

An imperial residence that an empress turned into a reliquary, rebuilt by a twelfth-century pope and given a baroque face in the eighteenth.

Chronology

1. First half of the 3rd century AD — the Sessorium, an imperial residential complex, is begun; it includes the Circus Varianus and the Amphitheatrum Castrense.
2. Early 4th century — the complex is chosen as a dwelling by Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, who transforms the great atrium into a chapel to keep the relics of the Cross she had brought to Rome. The basilica is built around the chapel, and is also called "Eleniana" or "Sessoriana".
3. Age of Valentinian III — the original of the mosaic later remade in the chapel of Saint Helena.
4. 1144 — Pope Lucius II radically restructures the basilica, adding a portico and erecting the fine brick campanile still existing.
5. 16th century — the chapel mosaic is remade by Melozzo da Forlì or Baldassarre Peruzzi.
6. 18th century — Benedict XIV commissions Pietro Passalacqua and Domenico Gregorini, who create one of the masterpieces of Roman barocchetto in the facade; four of the twelve granite columns are incorporated into pillars.
7. 1999 — the mortal remains of the Servant of God Antonietta Meo, "Nennolina" (1930-1937), come to rest at the foot of the Chapel.
8. 2003 — the Diocesan Shroud Commission of the Archdiocese of Turin gives the Basilica a full-size copy of the Shroud.
9. 2004 — the kitchen-garden of the Cistercian monastery is recreated in the area of the Amphitheatrum Castrense, with an iron and glass gate by Jannis Kounellis.

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