Also known as Basilica di Santa Maria della Neve, it’s said that Pope Liberius had a dream in which, he was instructed by the Virgin Mary to build a church on the exact spot that he found snow. So, the next day he found snow on the highest point on the Esquiline Hill and that was where he built his church. It is now the largest and most important place of prayer devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Why not visit it on the 5th of August, where this miracle is commemorated by thousands releasing white petals from the basilica’s ceiling.

Santa Maria Maggiore is the only basilica in Rome that still retains the core of its original shape. The original interior remains intact and you will be overwhelmed by the vast space and marvelous decorations.

This Basilica has been brilliantly decorated with magnificent frescoes, paintings and sculptures down through the centuries. Be sure to see the fifth century mosaics in the triumphal nave and arch, and the apse mosaic, which represents the Coronation of the Virgin.