The building is 12,85 meter wide, and 34 meters long. The length of the building increased by 10 m from 24 meters before the first renovation in 1865. As well three chapels and the sacristy were added.

The clock tower is an example of one the first uses in Tunisia of prefabricated panels made of reinforced concrete. The façades have preserved some details of the neo-classical architecture.

TIMELINE

2002 – 2019 | The restoration works were done in two phases: the consolidation of the building started in 2002 and was completed in 2004, the second phase for completion and decoration started in 2014.

After its closure, the Sainte-Croix church was used as a dependency for municipal services, and its presbytery was made available to theater companies, and also to some craftsmen’s commercial premises as well as for families.

1964 | Desacralization, owned by the Tunisian government

1848 | The complex was restored and enlarged but lost its function as a place of worship following the construction of the St. Vincent de Paul Cathedral in Tunis, which replaced the temporary cathedral erected in 1882.

1832 | The complex became a hospice.

1662 | Consisting of a presbytery and a church, the Holy Cross Complex was built in 1662 by foreign Christians living in Tunis and, until the end of the 18th/early 19th century, it was the only existing Christian parish in Tunisia.