Chiesa di Santa Croce, Catholic church in Altamura, Italy.

The Chiesa di Santa Croce is a Catholic church located in Altamura, Puglia, situated along the street that bears its name. Its interior features architectural elements from multiple periods due to various renovations made over the centuries.

The first written record dates to April 12, 1466, though Giovanni Antonio Orsini del Balzo likely built it earlier. The 19th century brought major renovations that significantly altered much of its original architectural structure.

The confraternity of the Pietà di Santa Croce, first documented in a bull of 12 April 1466, is likely Altamura's oldest. Its name comes from the church it served, and its members could elect chaplains and bury their dead without fees. A 1597 bull of Clement VIII granted indulgences to those who visited the church.

The church is located on a street in the city center and can be easily reached on foot when walking through Altamura's old town. Morning visits are recommended since natural light highlights the frescoes and interior details more clearly.

The Conservatory of Santa Croce was not a music school: founded in the early 17th century in place of the confraternity's hospital (first recorded in 1539), it sheltered poor girls and young women to keep them from prostitution. Over four centuries it fed and educated hundreds of them, and daughters of wealthier families could enter by paying a fee.