In 1716, after repeated requests, Duke Rinaldo III of Modena granted  the inhabitants of Villa Arzenago - then the name of Boretto’s Santa Croce district, under his rule - the permission to build a church dedicated to the Santa Croce (Holy Cross), to enshrine the revered relic still venerated today.

The building is a fine example of 18th-century Baroque architecture: simple in form, without excessive stucco or lavish ornamentation, yet graced with a beautiful façade that soars upward, crowned by a large cross. Completed in 1726, the church would eventually lend its name to the village, as Villa Arzenago became known as Santa Croce. Deeply attached to their small homeland, the people of Santa Croce care for it with devotion, and the church stands today as one of the hidden jewels of Bassa Reggiana.