The church was built on the site of a pre-existing 13th-century oratory dedicated to St Jacopo. Its current appearance is due to restoration work in the early 18th century when the small oratory was enlarged to accommodate the body of Santa Cristiana, patron saint of Santa Croce sull’Arno. On that occasion, the ceiling of the central vault was frescoed by Anton Domenico Bamberini, who depicted the saint in the glory of heaven.
Oringa Menabuoi, the future Saint Christian, was born in Santa Croce sull’Arno between 1237 and 1240 into a family of humble conditions. From childhood she showed interest in religious life and prayer, which she tended with particular dedication while tending sheep alone. She did not want to marry despite pressure from her family. She moved to Lucca and procured food and clothing by serving as a maid. In 1265 she undertook a pilgrimage to the sanctuary of San Michele al Gargano and to Rome where she visited the bodies of the martyrs. It was at this time that she was called by the name of Cristiana. In Assisi, the Lord showed her in a vision the foundation of a religious house in her home town. Having obtained a building from the Commune, on 24 December 1279 she shut herself in it with some companions, starting the monastery of Santa Maria Novella, placed by the foundress under the rule of St Augustine and canonically recognised in 1296. Suffering from serious infirmity, Cristiana died on 4 January 1310.