Archpriest of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
| Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore | |
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| Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major | |
Façade of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore facing the Piazza
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 Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
Location of the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome
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| 41°53′51″N 12°29′55″E / 41.89750°N 12.49861°ECoordinates: 41°53′51″N 12°29′55″E / 41.89750°N 12.49861°E | |
| Location | Rome |
| Country | Italy |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Tradition | Latin Rite |
| Website | Santa Maria Maggiore |
| History | |
| Dedication | Blessed Virgin Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Papal major basilica |
| Architect(s) | Ferdinando Fuga |
| Architectural type | Basilica |
| Style |
Roman architecture Baroque architecture |
| Groundbreaking | 432 |
| Completed | 1743 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 92 metres (302 ft) |
| Width | 80 metres (260 ft) |
| Nave width | 30 metres (98 ft) |
| Height | 75 metres (246 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Rome |
| Clergy | |
| Archpriest | Stanisław Ryłko |
| Official name | Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, ii, iii, iv, vi |
| Designated | 1980 |
| Reference no. | 91 |
| State Party | Italy and the Holy See |
| Region | Europe and North America |
The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore (Italian pronunciation: [ˈsanta maˈriːa madˈdʒoːre]; 'Basilica of Saint Mary Major', Latin: Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Papal major basilica and the largest Catholic Marian church in Rome, Italy, from which size it receives the appellation "major".
The basilica enshrines the venerated image of Salus Populi Romani, depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary as the health and protectress of the Roman people, which was granted a Canonical coronation by Pope Gregory XVI on 15 August 1838 accompanied by his Papal bull Cælestis Regina.
Pursuant to the Lateran Treaty of 1929 between the Holy See and Italy, the Basilica is within Italian territory and not the territory of the Vatican City State. However, the Holy See fully owns the Basilica, and Italy is legally obligated to recognize its full ownership thereof and to concede to it "the immunity granted by International Law to the headquarters of the diplomatic agents of foreign States."
The Basilica is sometimes referred to as Our Lady of the Snows, a name given to it in the Roman Missal from 1568 to 1969 in connection with the liturgical feast of the anniversary of its dedication on 5 August, a feast that was then denominated Dedicatio Sanctae Mariae ad Nives (Dedication of Saint Mary of the Snows). This name for the basilica had become popular in the 14th century in connection with a legend that the 1911 Catholic Encyclopedia reports thus: "During the pontificate of Liberius, the Roman patrician John and his wife, who were without heirs, made a vow to donate their possessions to the Virgin Mary. They prayed that she might make known to them how they were to dispose of their property in her honour. On 5 August, at the height of the Roman summer, snow fell during the night on the summit of the Esquiline Hill. In obedience to a vision of the Virgin Mary which they had the same night, the couple built a basilica in honour of Mary on the very spot which was covered with snow. From the fact that no mention whatever is made of this alleged miracle until a few hundred years later, not even by Sixtus III in his eight-line dedicatory inscription ... it would seem that the legend has no historical basis."
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Wikipedia