Basilica of St. Mary Major
The largest Marian church in Rome and one of the four papal major basilicas.
Blessed Virgin Mary → Plan a trip hereThe Story
The Basilica of St. Mary Major on Rome's Esquiline Hill is the oldest and greatest Marian church of the West and one of the four papal major basilicas. It was built under Pope Sixtus III shortly after the Council of Ephesus (431) solemnly affirmed Mary as Theotokos, the Mother of God, and its fifth-century mosaics — among the oldest Marian images in any church — still proclaim that faith. A beloved tradition explains the basilica's origins with the legend of the miraculous summer snowfall: Our Lady, it is said, marked out the site by a fall of snow on the Esquiline on the night of August 4–5. The story, commemorated each year with a shower of white petals, gives the basilica its popular title of Our Lady of the Snows, and its dedication is celebrated on August 5. Within the basilica pilgrims venerate the icon of the Salus Populi Romani — 'Protectress of the Roman People' — which tradition attributes to St. Luke and which Romans have invoked in times of plague and peril for centuries. Beneath the main altar, a crystal reliquary honors relics venerated as wood from the crib of Bethlehem, linking the church intimately to the mystery of the Nativity; it was here that St. Ignatius of Loyola celebrated his first Mass. The basilica has remained at the center of the Church's life. Popes have come to pray before the Salus Populi Romani at every great moment; Pope Francis visited the icon before and after each apostolic journey and chose the basilica as his burial place, where his tomb has drawn pilgrims since 2025. St. Mary Major remains what it has been for nearly sixteen centuries: the Roman heart of the Church's love for the Mother of God.
Church Recognition
St. Mary Major is one of the four papal major basilicas and the principal Marian church of the West; the feast of its dedication (Our Lady of the Snows) is kept on August 5 on the General Roman Calendar.
Catholic Teaching
The basilica proclaims the Council of Ephesus's teaching that Mary is truly Mother of God (CCC 495) and expresses the Church's Marian devotion, in which honor given to Mary leads always to her Son (CCC 963–975).
Plan Your Visit
Practical
Additional Information
Home to the icon Salus Populi Romani and relics associated with the Nativity; a major Marian pilgrimage church.
Go Deeper
See the basilica's official website at https://www.basilicasantamariamaggiore.va, CCC 963–975 on Mary and the Church, and the documents of the Council of Ephesus on Mary as Theotokos.
Location
Visit the official website ↗ See it on the interactive map →Pilgrim Photos
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In the Area
Other sacred sites within 40 miles.
- Basilica of St. Mary Major (Relics of St. Jerome) <1 mi
- Basilica of San Clemente <1 mi
- Church of Santa Francesca Romana <1 mi
- Basilica of Sts. Cosmas and Damian <1 mi
- Basilica of Sts. John and Paul (Tomb of St. Paul of the Cross) <1 mi
- The Scala Santa (Holy Stairs), Rome <1 mi
- Basilica of St. John Lateran <1 mi
- Church of St. Ignatius (Tomb of St. Robert Bellarmine) <1 mi