Santa Maria Maggiore is one of the four patriarchal basilicas in Rome and is in fact a part of the Vatican. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.Santa Maria Maggiore is one of the four patriarchal basilicas in Rome and is in fact a part of the Vatican. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
The legend of this church is that it is built on a spot shown to Pope Liberius in a dream. His dream told him to build a church dedicated to the Virgin on a spot on the Esquiline Hill covered with a miraculous mid-August snow. The legend is reenacted every August 5 by the dropping of white rose petals in the apse during Mass.
In actuality, this spot has had a connection with childbirth from the first building built in Republican times. A temple dedicated to Juno, the protectress of women giving birth was built in this area in 375 BC. It was also the city's birth registry and was a place of worship for 800 years. The church Pope Liberius built is not Mary Major, either. His church was either demolished and this one built or this one is a complete remodeling of his. Regardless, it was built in 430 AD by Pope Sixtus III. It is also the burial place of the Apostle Matthew, the apostle elected to replace Judas Iscariot (who had some sort of falling out with the group, apparently.).
Saint Mary Major boasts the tallest campanile in Rome (75 m) and the pillar in the piazza in front is from another basilica with a completely different function - the Basilica of Maxentius in the Roman Forum. The church facade was designed in 1743, but the mosaic on the ceiling inside the entrance is from the 13th century. The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin was celebrated here for centuries; the mosaic was of a style and subject usually used in a church's apse; thus the entire piazza was an open-air church for the throngs of pilgrims that came to Mary Major for the Feast.
Inside are the true treasures of the church - the mosaics above the nave and in the apse. The 36 nave mosaics are from the very earliest beginnings of the church: 432-440 AD. They show scenes from the Old Testament; the left side the stories of the lives of Abraham and of Jacob, the right side the stories of the lives of Moses and Joshua. The apse mosaic is from the late 13th century and shows the Savior and the Blessed Virgin seated on a jeweled throne beneath a starry sky. Beneath them are various saints and the patrons of the mosaic; on the left are St. Francis of Assisi, St. Paul, St. Peter and Pope Nicholas IV (the smaller figure), who contracted the work initially. On the right are St. Anthony of Padua, St. John the Evangelist, St. John the Baptist and Cardinal Giacomo Colonna who sponsored the completion of the work.
In front of the apse is the triumphal arch. Many early Christian churches have this very Roman architectural element. This one is decorated with mosaics that show a series of scenes from the infancy of Jesus, including the Slaughter of the Innocents and the Adoration of the Magi. It is a cluttered work and not of the same artistic quality of of the nave or apse mosaics, but fascinating nonetheless.
Mary Major is also interesting from an architectural perspective. Ancient Romans would recognize this building's floor plan as one of their own; it reflects well a Roman basilica - those buildings used as shopping malls and government centers in the Forum. It is a beautifully preserved church with an original Cosmatesque floor and ancient support columns defining the nave.
This is an ancient church dedicated to St Praxedes. The first church here was probably built in the time of Pope St Siricius (384-399). The first definite mention of the church is from 489. The present church was started by Pope Adrian I around 780 and completed and altered by Pope St Paschal I around 822 for use as a repository for relics from the catacombs. Approximately 2300 martyr's relics were removed from the catacombs and placed here
This church has two entrances. The side entrance is the one most people use, but the true "front door" is down the street and around the corner on Via di San Martino ai Monti. The entrance is two sets of steps built in the 16th century which take you into an open courtyard.
The church has a "standard" basilical plan, with three naves. The naves are separated by 16 ancient columns and six pilasters and chapels on the sides.
The apse mosaic was made during the pontificate of Pope St Paschal I, 817-824 and is in the Byzantine style. It shows Christ in the clouds being awarded the crown of victory from the hand of the Father. He is flanked by Sts Peter and Paul, whose arms are around the shoulders of Sts Prassede and Pudentiana. Pope St Paschal holds a model of the church, and teh martyr St Zeno is on the right. The mosaic can be dated to the reign of St Paschal since he has a square halo, showing that he was alive when it was made.
I swear, iconography is a complete language in and of itself!
A phoenix, symbol of immortality, is in the palm tree next to the pope. The blue band at the base of the mosaic represents baptism and is inscribed "Jordanes" for the River Jordan (in which the sacrament of baptism was instituted, of course.). And as is typical for churches of this time, the Lamb of God is shown with 12 sheep symbolizing the Apostles.
The Latin inscription records the building by Pope St Paschal I and the dedication to St Praxedes:
EMICAT AULA PIAE VARIIS DEOCRATA METALLIS PRAXEDIS D(OMI)NO SUPER AETHRA PLACENTIS HONORE PONTIFICIS SUMMI STUDIO PASCHALIS ALUMNI SEDIS APOSTOLICAE PASSIM QUI CORPORA CONDENS PLURIMA S(AN)C(T)ORUM SUBTER HAEC MOENIA PONIT FRETUS UT HIS LIMEN MEREATUR ADIRE POLORUM
"The hall beams are decorated with various (precious) metals, in honor of the saintly Praxedes who has found pleasure with the Lord in heaven above, through the zeal of the Supreme Pontiff Paschal, raised to the Apostolic See, who collected the bodies of numerous saints and laid them beneath these walls, trusting that by his service he has merited as place in your house."
Hmmm... Remember, Pope, good works alone can't get you into Heaven...
All good Catholic churches worth their Sunday donations have a relic or two. This church's relics belong to Saint Praxedes and Saint Pudentiana (who has her own church a few hundred meters away). In this case the relics are their bones, combined into one sarcaphogus, as well as a sponge that was used to collect the blood of martyrs.
The Chapel of St Zeno on the right side of the church has 9th century mosaics depicting the Blessed Virgin and saints on the inner arch and Christ and the Apostles on the outer. The ceiling features Christ Pantokrator supported by four angels.
Immediately next to the chapel is a sancuary holding what they claim is a piece of the column on which Christ was whipped, called the Pillar of the Scourging. Problem is, there's another such pillar in the Church of the Holy Sepulchur in Jerusalem. Who would have thought?
Unlike a lot of churches in the city, SS Cosma and Damiano has never been remodeled and updated on the outside. Mary Major, for example, has a 17th century entry. SS Cosma and Damiano has a very nondescript front entrance way. The doorway pictured here leads into a courtyard with the church entrance about 25 meters down and to the left. What you see as you walk in tells you this is a converted Roman building; the worn tufa block and green brick is everywhere.
The Church of Sts Cosmas and Damian sits on the Roman Forum. It occupies what was once a library room in Vespasian's Forum of Peace, the majority of which is under Via dei Fori Imperiali. The structure was rebuilt and consecrated as a church in the 6th century, probably by Pope St Felix IV in 527. The backside of this church is the Roman Forum's Temple of Romulus. The inside of the temple is visible from the inside of the church. Originally, the external wall of the church was clad with approximately 150 marble slabs carved with a map of Rome at the time of the Severi (3rd century AD) known as the Forma Urbis. One of these still survives and is in the Capitoline Museum.
The 6th century apse mosaic in the Byzantine style is quite gorgeous. It depicts Christ of the Second Coming. Christ is flanked by St Cosmas and St Damian, Syrian physicians and martyrs. They stand with the arms of St Peter and St Paul around their shoulders; the Apostles are introducing them to Christ. How polite of them!
St Theodore and Pope Felix IV are also in the scene. Felix is shown with a model of the church in his hands, symbolizing that he had it built. The two of them are standing on golden water plants, symbolizing the river Jordan, identified by the inscription IORDANES. And below we see the Lamb of God with 12 sheep symbolizing the apostles.
The Latin inscription accompanying the mosaic says:
AULE DEI CLARIS RADIAT SPECIOSA METALLIS IN QUA PLUS FIDEI LUX PRETIOSA MICAT
MARTYRIBUS MEDICIS POPULO SPES CERTA SALUTIS VENIT ET EX SACRO CREVIT HONORE LOCUS
OBTULIT HOC DOMINO FELIX ANTISTITE DIGNUM MINUS UT AETHERIA VIVAT IN ARCE POLI
And can be translated as:
"God's residence radiates brilliantly in shining materials, the precious light of the faith in it glows even more.
The secure hope of salvation comes to the people from the martyred doctors, and from the sanctity of this place derives honor.
Felix offers this worthy gift to God, so that he might live in the heavenly abode."
Each sentence stands alone as a message. The first sentence summarizes ecclesiastical art; it is intended to fill the viewer with awe, not only by its own beauty but by the implication that there is an even greater beauty to be seen by following the precepts of God. The second sentence is a reference to Sts Cosmas and Damian, who aid the faithful in their quest for salvation. The last sentence is a reference to Pope Felix IV who wished that the building of this church should be taken into consideration when he one day was to be judged.
But... I thought good works can't get you into Heaven. I am so confused!
The triumphal arch depicts the Apocalypse, and may have been completed in the time of Pope Sergius I (692-701). The relics of Cosmas and Damian are preserved in the crypt.
Sts Cosma and Damiano is also relatively popular with couples wishing to get married and is booked far in advance. I guess it would be cool getting married in a church that has been around as long as this one has.
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