Basilica Di Santa Maria Maggiore
Rome was not always a Roman Catholic stronghold. In its early days, like all other westernizing civilizations, Rome was Pagan, and people worshipped multiple gods. It is on the grounds of a former Pagan temple that this, (in English) Church of Mary Major, is erected. Built originally after a supposed vision of the Virgin Mary hovered over the site and then a snowfall in August mapped the parameters of its foundation, the church was erected in 432 AD.
It is the largest of more than 25 Roman churches dedicated to Mary, one of four major papal basilicas in the city, and one of seven pilgrimage basilicas in the world. So, not an insignificant religious structure in the Christian diaspora.
St. Mary Major was extensively restored and rebuilt in the 1700s, with a new exterior; work done to the inside, except for the classical Greek columns (which are original) was created in the Byzantine style. The bell tower, one of the tallest in Rome, stands at 73 metres (240 feet). Buried beneath the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is famous architect (of the time) Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and beneath the altar in the Bethlehem crypt, the relics of Saint Jerome.
Spacious and soaring with an intricate mosaic floor and gold ceiling, St. Mary Major is very much worth a visit when in Rome.
