Vera Cruz Church

The Templar Iglesia Vera Cruz (Church of the True Cross) is the most interesting of several splendid Romanesque churches in Segovia.

Consecrated in 1208, Vera Cruz was built by the Knights Templar to house a fragment of the True Cross. It is thus not really a parish church or even a monastic church, but primarily a shrine. The relic is now housed in the nearby village church at Zamarramala.

Vera Cruz has a unique 12-sided exterior with a tower on the south side, which can be admired from the viewpoint near the Alcazar. Its shape is patterned on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, where according to legend the True Cross was found by St. Helena in the 4th century.

Inside, the round nave centers on an unusual two-story gallery, where the Knights are thought to have kept vigil over the sliver of wood. You can climb the tower for beautiful views of the Alcazar and old city.