Basilica of Saint Mary Major photos just moving around

Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Rome | 罗马圣母大教堂 | Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, Roma | Bazylika Matki Bożej Większej, Rzym

The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, or the Basilica of St. Mary Major, is one of Rome’s most significant and majestic churches. Located on the Esquiline Hill, it is the largest of the eighty churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the city and one of the four major basilicas of Rome, alongside St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, and St. Paul Outside the Walls.

The origins of Santa Maria Maggiore are rooted in the early Christian period. According to tradition, the basilica was built on the site where the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to Pope Liberius in 352 AD, instructing him to build a church in her honour. The following morning, a miraculous snowfall marked the location where the church was to be erected, despite it being the height of summer. This event is commemorated each year on 5th August, when white rose petals are dropped from the dome of the basilica during a special Mass.

The current structure was commissioned by Pope Sixtus III in 432 AD, shortly after the Council of Ephesus declared Mary as the Mother of God. The original 5th-century structure has undergone numerous renovations and additions, yet it retains its early Christian character. The basilica’s Romanesque bell tower, built in the 14th century, is the tallest in Rome at 75 metres. The impressive Baroque façade, designed by Ferdinando Fuga in the 18th century.

Inside, the basilica is richly decorated with mosaics, frescoes, and marble. The nave features 5th-century mosaics that depict scenes from the Old Testament, created under the direction of Pope Sixtus III. The triumphal arch also features mosaics portraying scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary.

Beneath the high altar lies the confessio, which contains a relic of the Holy Crib, believed to be part of the manger where Jesus was laid after his birth. This relic is particularly significant, attracting pilgrims from around the world, especially during the Christmas season. Inside we can find a statue of a pope kneeling in prayer. Pope Pius IX, who reigned from 1846 to 1878, had a particular devotion to the Holy Crib relics housed in the confessio. He was known for proclaiming the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854, which defined the belief that Mary was conceived without original sin.

The basilica also houses the Cappella Sistina, not to be confused with the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Commissioned by Pope Sixtus V in the late 16th century, this chapel contains his tomb, designed by Domenico Fontana. The coffered ceiling of the basilica, gilded with gold brought from the New World, is a masterpiece of Renaissance art attributed to Giuliano da Sangallo, who worked on it in the late 15th century. Tradition holds that the gold used for the ceiling was the first brought back by Christopher Columbus from the Americas and was donated to the church by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. Another significant chapel within the basilica is the Cappella Paolina, or the Borghese Chapel, built in the early 17th century by Flaminio Ponzio and dedicated to Pope Paul V. This chapel houses the revered icon of the Salus Populi Romani, which is believed to have been painted by St. Luke the Evangelist.