Fifth century mosaics and a ceiling gilded with the first gold from America
On the top of the Esquiline Hill, Santa Maria Maggiore is one of the four papal basilicas of Rome and the largest church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Legend says it was built where snow fell miraculously in August of the year 358, an event commemorated every 5 August with a shower of white petals.
It is the only great Roman basilica to have kept its early Christian structure. The nave preserves extraordinary fifth century mosaics with Old Testament stories, and the apse a thirteenth century Coronation of the Virgin. The coffered ceiling is said to have been gilded with the first gold brought from America by Columbus, a gift of the Spanish monarchs. The basilica also holds the tomb of Bernini and, since 2025, that of Pope Francis.
Tip: the loggia on the façade has mosaics that can be visited with a guide; the bell tower is the tallest in Rome.
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