Listen to the whispers of the mosaics and marble, tell tales from 1600 years ago, as you step into Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, a grand basilica where ancient legends come to life.
This place is not just a church but a living treasure with art, faith, and history blending under one roof.
The Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome invites you to a history through time with its 75-meter bell tower, or the miraculous August snowfall, the basilica will leave you speechless with its grandeur during your Europe Tour.
The Santa Maria Maggiore history dates back to 432-440 AD, and according to legends, it is believed that the Virgin Mary guided Pope Sixtus III in a dream that the snow would fall in August, and in 352 AD, snow fell on the Esquiline Hill. For this reason, the Pope built the first church on that particular spot.
In the 8th century, the expansion of the church was ordered by Pope Paul I, which was added to the oratory of the Sancta Sanctorum.
By the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century, Popes Sixtus IV and Paul V ordered popular artists like Antonio Vassalletto and Carlo Maderno to decorate the interior and the facade, making it one of the popular Rome Basilicas and also one of the best places to visit in Rome.
