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Home > Italy Travel Guide > Rome Travel Guide > Saint Mary Major Basilica(Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore)

Saint Mary Major Basilica

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Introduction

Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome is the largest of the 80 Roman churches dedicated to the Virgin. Santa Maria Maggiore harmonises a great variety of architectural styles the bell tower is medieval, the ceiling is from the Renaissance and the domes are Baroque. The bell tower is the highest in Rome (about 75 metres high).The internal structure, unique among the patriarchal basilicas, has kept a shape similar to the original one. It is 86 metres high, has three aisles which are divided by a series of monolithic columns. Santa Maria Maggiore is a patriarchal basilica dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. S. Maria Maggiore was built in 431 A.D. The basilica is rich in works of art, among them the frescos by Guido Reni (1575 - 1642) and the coffered ceiling by Giuliano Giamberti, called Giuliano da Sangallo (1443 - 1516). Under the altar is a crypt containing the remains of St. Matthais, who was the Apostle chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. In front of the confessional, which holds the relics of the Nativity, is a kneeling statue of Pope Pius IX. Legend claims that the plan of the church was outlined by a miraculous snowfall in August (possibly in 358). The legend is commemorated every year on August 5th, when white rose petals are dropped from the dome during the festal Mass.

Over the years certain details of the basilica have been destroyed, notably the mosaics that used to decorate the apse, which dates from 1200. The bell-tower was rebuilt in the 14th century, to the original design, after being destroyed in an earthquake. Popes Sixtus V and Paul V are buried here.

History

Pope Liberius commissioned the construction of the Liberian Basilica, circa 360. He wanted a shrine built at the site where an appartion of the Blessed Virgin Mary manifested herself before a local patrician and his wife. According to tradition, the outline of the church was physically laid out on the ground by a miraculous snowfall that took place on August 5, 358. Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Snows, local Roman Catholics commemorate the miracle on each anniversary by dropping white rose petals from the dome during the feast mass.

Location

Via Liberiana, 27, Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore.
Zone: Termini - Esquilino
Metro: Termini (lines A and B); Bus: 3, 4, 16, 27, 70, 71, 93, 93b, 93c Tram: 14, 516, 517.

Interior

The interior is perhaps the finest and most majestic church interior in Rome; 86m/282ft long, three-aisled, with 36 marble and four granite columns, mosaics (fourth or fifth century, the oldest in Rome) on the upper part of the walls, Cosmatesque work in the floor (mid 12th century) and a coffered ceiling by Giuliano da Sangallos (15th century). The Cappella Sistina on the right and the Cappella Paoline on the left are in effect transepts. The Cappella Sistina, built by Domenico Fontana (1584-90) for Pope Sixtus V, contains a bronze tabernacle and the tombs of Sixtus V and his predecessor Pius V. The Cappella Paolina was built for Pope Paul V by Flaminio Ponzo; the richly decorated altarpiece was designed by Girolamo Rainaldi. On the canopied high altar, by Ferdinando Fuga, is a much venerated image of the Virgin (the "Salus Populi Romani"), traditionally attributed to St Luke but in fact a 13th century work.

Confessio

In the confessio, St Matthew the Apostle is buried. He was the thirteenth Apostle, elected after Judas Ischariot had left the disciples. Above the altar in the confessio is a reliquary which holds five pieces of wood. They are said to be from the Santa Culla, the Holy Manger that Christ was laid in at Bethlehem. Pope Theodore (642-649) is said to have brought them to Rome shortly after the fall of Jerusalem in 638. The authenticity is uncertain, and it is thought that it might be the manger from one of the first Christmas cribs. The reliquary is made of gold and silver, with a figure of the Holy Child on top. The container has several crystal windows through which the relics can be seen. The relics are displayed on the 25th of each month, and large groups of pilgrims can ask at the sacristy if they wish to see them at other times. The confessio is designed by Virgilio Vespasiani in 1864. The statue of Pope Pius IX is by Ignazio Jacometti, made in 1880.

Bethlehem Crypt

Below the sanctuary of Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is the Bethlehem Crypt where many significant figures in the history of the Roman Catholic Church are buried. The crypt is furnished with an altar and seating for the celebration of the Eucharist. A relic of the crib believed to be used in the nativity of Jesus is protected within the crypt. Devoted to the nativity, Saint Ignatius of Loyola presided over his first mass as a priest in the Bethlehem crypt on December 25, 1538. He would later establish the Society of Jesus.

In the Bethlehem Crypt is buried Saint Jerome, Doctor of the Church, who translated the Bible into the Latin language in the 4th century, the Vulgate . The body of Pope Pius V was buried here; Gian Lorenzo Bernini also rests in the basilica.

Useful information

Open Hours: Normally open 07.00 - 20.00
Services: 7am, 8am, 9am, 10am, 11am, noon, 6pm
Phone: 06 44 65 836 / 06 48 14 287

Links

EWTN Profile of Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

Infomation

Satellite Photo of St. Mary's Major Basilica

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Roberto Piperno, “S. Maria Maggiore”

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S. Maria Maggiore entry from “Guide to the Churches of Rome”

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Saint Mary Major Basilica(Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore)

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