Like a Snow-capped Summer

Today is the commemoration of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, or St. Mary Major. Ever since I first learned about it about nine years ago, I have wanted to see it, and on my recent pilgrimage to Rome, I finally did. It is one of four papal basilicas in Rome.

Santa Maria Maggiore is regarded as the first Marian sanctuary in the Western world. Its location on one of the seven hills of Rome, as well as its dedication date and its nickname of “Our Lady of the Snows,” is tied to a legend of its founding.

According to legend, there was a wealthy, pious couple in the fifth century who were childless. In 352, they decided they would give their wealth to St. Mary; they prayed to her, asking for a sign of how to do so. In the peak of the Italian summer, on the morning of Aug. 5, snow fell on Esquiline Hill. Both the couple and the pope were woken by visions that night to go to the hill, where they discovered the unusual snowfall. Taking it as their sign, the couple declared they would fund a church dedicated to Mary on that spot. The pope outlined the basilica in the snow. It was officially dedicated on Aug. 5, 431, shortly following the Council of Ephesus, at which proclaimed Mary as the Mother of God.

The basilica has grown in grandeur and status over the centuries, the home of famous art and relics and the resting place for various saints and popes. St. Jerome, the Doctor of the Church who translated the Bible into the vernacular (Latin), and most recently, Pope Francis was buried there. Pope Francis always visited the basilica before and after each international trip.

The mosaics found in Santa Maria Maggiore are one of the oldest representations of the Virgin Mary in Christian late antiquity. Similarly, the Salus Populi Romani icon ("Protectress of the Roman People" or "Health of the Roman People") is at least a thousand years old. Some say it goes back even further, to St. Luke. The Salus Populi Romani icon gets its name from a miracle in which the icon reportedly helped keep plague from striking the city.

During 16th century renovations, the ceiling of the basilica was gilded with gold that had been brought back from the New World by Columbus. Ferdinand and Isabella had donated it to the Church. So the very old, very Roman church is also a sign of the expanding understanding of the world and the universality of the Church.

The basilica’s treasury and museum have lots of beautiful objects, from reliquaries to paintings to St. Jerome’s chasuble. A spiral staircase, carved by Bernini, is known for its architectural magnificence; it ascends five stories without a central column, holding its weight against the walls.

Perhaps the most important relic in the basilica is under the high altar in the Crypt of the Nativity, or Bethlehem Crypt. A crystal reliquary is said to contain wood from a crib of Christ.

I really enjoyed finally seeing Santa Maria Maggiore, even if all the gold and ornamentation was a bit overwhelming. It’s almost impossible for me to comprehend how long people have been continually worshipping on that very spot. Wrapped in legends, but also real and tangible.