In the heart of the historic center of Campobasso, between the churches of San Leonardo and Sant’Antonio Abate, stands the Church of Santa Maria della Croce, one of the oldest religious buildings in the city, with origins that are intertwined with the Lombard era and most likely dating back to the 10th century.
Sources from the 1930s attest to pilgrimages to this sacred place even before the year 1000, making Santa Maria della Croce one of the first testimonies of Christian worship in the city. Born as a simple oratory, the church quickly grew in importance following the depopulation of the upper part of the town, until it became a religious and social reference point, so much so that one of the ancient city gates took its name.
This church is also responsible for the birth of the first religious congregation in Campobasso, that of the Crusaders, recognized by the Holy See and composed mainly of commoners. The congregation received numerous indulgences starting in 1073, thanks to Pope Gregory VII. In 1853 the church was elevated to a Collegiate Church by the Bishop of Bojano, with papal approval that established the presence of sixteen canons, later called Rectors.
The church has a Latin cross plan with three naves. The façade, renovated in 1930 in neoclassical style, houses a rose window and a round arch supported by small columns with floral capitals. The bell tower, located on the right side, is enriched by single-lancet windows on three sides.
Inside, the central nave leads to the presbytery where there is a Baroque marble altar from 1760, surrounded by statues of the Immaculate, Saint John and Saint Joseph, created by the sculptor Di Zinno. The dome, dating back to the fifteenth century, is illuminated by eight windows that spread a mystical light in the room.
The left nave houses the chapel of the Addolorata with an eighteenth-century Madonna and frescoes by Amedeo Trivisonno (1932), as well as a wooden crucifix from the Bernini school. The right nave ends with the chapel of the Sacred Heart, which houses statues of San Biagio, Santa Lucia and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
From this church, on Good Friday, the procession with the statues of the dead Christ and the Madonna Addolorata comes out, a heartfelt and characteristic tradition as it is followed by a choir of over 700 singers who sing the heartbreaking Teco Vorrei.
Santa Maria della Croce is today a place of deep spirituality, art, and history, where the living memory of Campobasso can be felt.