Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

The Papal Basilica of Saint Mary the Great stands on Rome’s Esquiline Hill in the 15th Rione district. It is one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the largest Marian church in the city. The basilica is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Snow. Though located in Italy, it belongs to the Holy See and enjoys diplomatic immunity. It holds the privilege of immemorial status as a basilica. The church enshrines important Christian relics, including the holy crib of the Child Jesus. Another revered image is Salus Populi Romani, depicting the Madonna and Child as protectress of the Roman people. Pope Gregory XVI granted this image a canonical coronation in 1838. The basilica’s feast day, once called Dedicatio Sanctae Mariae ad Nives, recalls a legendary snowfall on the Esquiline in the 4th century. White rose petals are still dropped from the dome during the feast. The present structure was built under Pope Celestine I and consecrated by Pope Sixtus III in the 5th century. Its original core survives despite later restorations and an earthquake in 1348. The dedicatory inscription on the triumphal arch credits Sixtus as bishop to the people of God. The basilica was the first major church dedicated to the Virgin Mary after the Council of Ephesus in 431. Its interior reflects the shift from imperial to Christian Rome.