A Romanesque basilica dedicated to Saint Nicholas had existed at the southeastern corner of the Dresden market since the early twelfth century, documented about 1168. A Side-chapel of the Cross, named after a relic bequeathed by the Meissen margravine Constance of Babenberg (1212–1243), was first mentioned in 1319. Over the decades, it became the name of the whole church, which was officially dedicated on 10 June 1388 to the Holy Cross.