Santa Maria della Croce, Early Christian church in Casarano, Italy.

Santa Maria della Croce has a simple gabled facade with a small central rose window framed by a carved relieving arch, and a rectangular portal topped by a lunette. Inside, three naves are divided by pillars that meet in wide arches. The presbytery vault holds a 5th-century polychrome mosaic with a peacock-tail motif, and the central nave's barrel vault carries 13th-century Gothic frescoes of the lives of Saints Catherine of Alexandria and Margaret of Antioch.

The oldest core, a Latin-cross plan, is dated to around 450 AD, two decades after the Council of Ephesus, though recent studies suggest the 6th century. In the 13th century the vault and central nave were frescoed; lower side aisles were added in the 14th century. In the 17th century it took the title Santa Maria de Idri and housed two altars, of which no trace remains.

The church is dedicated to Santa Maria della Croce, whose feast falls on the third Sunday of October. A papier-mâché statue of the Madonna della Croce by Giuseppe Manzo is kept inside and was recently restored. A 1717 plaque by Bishop Antonio Sanfelice recalls the tradition that Pietro Tomacelli, later Pope Boniface IX, was baptised here in 1354.

The church is generally accessible during daytime hours, though access may vary depending on local services and events. Checking ahead is useful, especially if you plan to visit during worship times.

A 1717 plaque placed by Bishop Antonio Sanfelice records that Pietro Tomacelli, later Pope Boniface IX, was baptised here in 1354 according to tradition; it replaced an earlier inscription broken after more than three centuries. The church also keeps a papier-mâché Madonna della Croce by Giuseppe Manzo, recently restored.