The Basilica of St. Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore) is one of the Church’s four major basilicas and is the principal Marian church in the world.

The basilica holds the most important Marian icon, known as the Salus Populi Romani. It is said to have been painted by St. Luke and brought to Rome during the pontificate of Pope Gregory the Great. Within its walls are the tombs of several popes, as well as St. Jerome and renowned artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Arching above these treasures, the golden ceiling features the first of the gold brought back by Christopher Columbus from America.  In the Crypt of the Nativity underneath the high altar, one can visit the alleged relic of the manger Jesus was laid in.

Visitors to the basilica on August 5, feast of the Dedication of St. Mary Major, can witness the remembrance of “Our Lady of the Snows.” This title recalls an August snowfall c.352 that was indicated to Pope Liberius, where a church dedicated to Mary was to be built–an event commemorated by white rose petals falling from the ceiling during the Mass.