his is Church of the True Cross, Segovia,
Spain.
he Church is in the district of
Miraflores, in the town of Zamarramala, and it was actually founded by the
Order. Construction years are not known for sure, but the church was consecrated
on April 13, 1208. Until 1226 it was known as "Santo Sepulchro", (Holy Sepulchre
in honor of the one in Jerusalem), but in that year a piece of the True Cross
was given to the Church by Pope Honorius III,
and the Church was then renamed.
he Church is the only twelve-sided
Templar installation to have survived. The interior is circular, not polygonal.
Since the Church was built for the Templars' own use and not the general
public, it is not a large building. The small central temple is te most
interesting feature of the church: it is in two sections on a twelve-sided
ground plan. The low-ceiling first section opens through four doors at the
main compass directions. There is a twin stairway into the vaulted upper
part. In this space there is the Templar Altar.
