Best Basilica Di Santa Maria Maggiore Day Trips & Things to Do

Dedication to the Virgin Mary, the Basilica of St. Mary Major is also known as "Our Lady of the Snow," based on a legendary tale surrounding its founding wherein snow miraculously fell during summer over the summit of the Esquiline Hill, where it was built. Though it is one of the four papal basilica and highest ranking churches in the Catholic Church, St. Mary Major is the only one not based on apostolic grant. The interior of the structure is lined with some of the oldest mosaics featuring the Virgin Mary as well as the Crypt of the Nativity, the Borghese Chapel, and a Holy Door that is only opened during a Jubilee Year.