Santa Maria Maggiore

Catholic basilica and landmark in Rome, Italy

"Saint Mary Major" redirects here. For other uses, see Santa Maria Maggiore (disambiguation) and Saint Mary Major (disambiguation).

Church in Rome, Italy

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major

* Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore (Italian)
* Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris (Latin)
* Basilica Sanctae Mariae ad Nives (Latin)

Façade of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore facing the Piazza

Interactive map of Santa Maria Maggiore's location in Rome

41°53′51″N 12°29′55″E﻿ / ﻿41.89750°N 12.49861°E﻿ / 41.89750; 12.49861
Location| Rome
Country| Italy
Denomination| Catholic Church
Tradition| Latin Church
Website| Santa Maria Maggiore
History
Status| Papal major basilica
Dedication| Blessed Virgin Mary
Cult(s) present| Salus Populi Romani
Relics held|

* Holy Crib
* Jerome

Architecture
Architect(s)| Ferdinando Fuga
Architectural type| Basilica
Style|

* Roman architecture
* Romanesque architecture (tower)
* Baroque architecture

Groundbreaking| 432 (432)
Completed| 1743 (1743)
Specifications
Length| 92 m (302 ft)
Width| 80 m (260 ft)
Nave width| 30 m (98 ft)
Height| 75 m (246 ft)
Administration
Diocese| Rome
Clergy
Archpriest| Rolandas Makrickas

UNESCO World Heritage Site

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[1]
Reference no.| 91
Region| Europe and North America

Santa Maria Maggiore (Italian pronunciation: [ˈsanta maˈriːa madˈdʒoːre]),[a] also known as the Basilica of Saint Mary Major or the Basilica of Saint Mary the Great,[b] is one of the four major papal basilicas and one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. The largest Marian church in Rome, it is regarded as the first Marian sanctuary in the Western world and the mother of all sanctuaries.[2]

Santa Maria Maggiore is located in Esquilino, the 15th rione (administrative district) of Rome, on the Piazza dell'Esquilino [it]. Pursuant to the Lateran Treaty of 1929 between the Holy See and Italy, the basilica is in Italy and not Vatican City.[3] However, the Holy See fully owns the basilica, and Italy is legally obliged to recognise its full ownership thereof[4] and to concede to it "the immunity granted by international law to the headquarters of the diplomatic agents of foreign states".[3] The complex of buildings therefore has a status somewhat similar to an embassy.

The basilica enshrines the venerated image of Salus Populi Romani, depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary as the health and protector of the Roman people, which was granted a canonical coronation by Pope Gregory XVI in 1838.[5]

## Names

[edit]

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[6] in connection with a legend that c. 352, during "the pontificate of Liberius, a Roman patrician John and his wife, who were without heirs, made a vow to donate their possessions to the Virgin Mary."[7] The couple prayed that she might make known to them how they were to dispose of their property in her honor. 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 honor of Mary on the very spot which was covered with snow.[8]

The legend is first reported only after AD 1000.[9] It may be implied in what the Liber Pontificalis of the early 13th century says of Pope Liberius: "He built the basilica of his own name near the Macellum of Livia".[10] It is shown in the early 15th-century painting of the Miracle of the Snow by Masolino da Panicale.[11][c]

The Blessed Virgin Mary overlooking Pope Liberius scrapes the outline of the foundation of the basilica into the snow. By Italian artist Masolino da Panicale, circa 15th century, Museo di Capodimonte.

The feast was originally called Dedicatio Sanctae Mariae ('Dedication of Saint Mary's'),[12] and was celebrated only in Rome until it was inserted into the General Roman Calendar, with ad Nives added to its name, in 1568.[6] A congregation appointed by Pope Benedict XIV in 1741 proposed that the reading of the legend be struck from the Office and that the feast be given its original name.[12] No action was taken on the proposal until 1969, when the reading of the legend was removed and the feast was called In dedicatione Basilicae S. Mariae ('Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary').[6] The legend is still commemorated by dropping white rose petals from the dome during the celebration of the Mass and during the Second Vespers on the feast day.

The earliest building on the site was the Liberian Basilica or Santa Maria Liberiana, after Pope Liberius (352–366). This name may have originated from the same legend, which recounts that, like John and his wife, Pope Liberius was told in a dream of the forthcoming summer snowfall, went in procession to where it occurred and there marked out the area on which the church was to be built.[13] Liberiana is still included in some versions of the basilica's name, and "Liberian Basilica" may be used as a contemporary as well as historical name.[d]

On the other hand, the name "Liberian Basilica" may be independent of the legend, since, according to Pius Parsch, Pope Liberius transformed a palace of the Sicinini family into a church, which was for that reason called the "Sicinini Basilica". This building was then replaced under Pope Sixtus III (432–440) by the present structure dedicated to Mary.[13] However, some sources say that the adaptation as a church of a pre-existing building on the site of the present basilica was done in the 420s under Pope Celestine I, the immediate predecessor of Sixtus III.[14]

Long before the earliest traces of the story of the miraculous snow, the church now known as Santa Maria Maggiore was called "Saint Mary of the Crib" (Sancta Maria ad Praesepe),[15] a name it was given because of its relic of the crib or manger of the Nativity of Jesus Christ, four boards of sycamore wood believed to have been brought to the church, together with a fifth, in the time of Pope Theodore I (640–649).[16][17] This name appears in the Tridentine editions of the Roman Missal as the place for the pope's Mass (the station Mass) on Christmas Night,[18] while the name "Mary Major" appears for the church of the station Mass on Christmas Day.[19]

## Status as a papal major basilica

[edit]

See also: Major basilica

A map by Giacomo Lauro and Antonio Tempesta depicting Santa Maria Maggiore among the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome in 1599, in view of the Holy Year of 1600

A Catholic church can only be honored with the title of basilica by apostolic grant or from immemorial custom.[20] Santa Maria Maggiore is one of the only four that hold the title of "major basilica". The other three are the basilicas of St. John in the Lateran, St. Peter, and St. Paul outside the Walls.[21] The title of major basilica was once used more widely, being attached, for instance, to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi.[22]

Along with the other major basilicas, Santa Maria Maggiore is also styled a "papal basilica". Before 2006, the four papal major basilicas, together with the Basilica of St. Lawrence outside the Walls were referred to as the "patriarchal basilicas" of Rome. When Pope Benedict XVI abandoned the title "Patriarch of the West", the title of Santa Maria Maggiore changed from patriarchal to papal basilica, as found on its website,[23] and each was associated with one of the five ancient patriarchates. Santa Maria Maggiore was associated with the Patriarchate of Antioch.[24] In 2024, Pope Francis reinstated the title, reversing Pope Benedict XVI's renunciation of it but, so far, the church designation has remained unaltered.[25]

The five papal basilicas along with the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem and San Sebastiano fuori le mura were the traditional Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome, which were visited by pilgrims during their pilgrimage to Rome following a 20-kilometer (12 mi) itinerary established by Philip Neri on 25 February 1552.[26][27][28]

## History

[edit]

The Piazza and Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, by Giovanni Paolo Panini

It is now agreed that the present church was built on the Cispian spur of Rome's Esquiline Hill under Pope Celestine I (422–432) not under Pope Sixtus III (432–440), who consecrated the basilica on 5 August 434 to the Virgin Mary.

The dedicatory inscription on the triumphal arch, Latin: Sixtus Episcopus plebi Dei (Sixtus the bishop to the people of God), is an indication of that Pope's role in the construction.[29] As well as this church on the summit of the Esquiline Hill, Pope Sixtus III is said to have commissioned extensive building projects throughout the city, which were continued by his successor Pope Leo I, the Great.[30]

The church retains the core of its original structure, despite several additional construction projects and damage by the earthquake of 1348.

Church building in Rome in this period, as exemplified in Santa Maria Maggiore, was inspired by the idea of Rome being not just the center of the world of the Roman Empire, as it was seen in the classical period, but the center of the Christian world.[31]

Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the first churches built to celebrate the Virgin Mary, was erected immediately after the Council of Ephesus of 431, which proclaimed Mary Mother of God. Pope Sixtus III built it to commemorate this decision.[32][33] Certainly, the atmosphere that generated the council gave rise also to the mosaics that adorn the interior of the dedication: "whatever the precise connection was between council and church it is clear that the planners of the decoration belong to a period of concentrated debates on nature and status of the Virgin and incarnate Christ."[34] The magnificent mosaics of the nave and triumphal arch, seen as "milestones in the depiction" of the Virgin,[35] depict scenes of her life and that of Christ, and scenes from the Old Testament: Moses striking the Red Sea, and Egyptians drowning in the Red Sea.

Richard Krautheimer attributes the magnificence of the work also to the abundant revenue accruing to the papacy at the time from land holdings acquired by the Catholic Church during the 4th and 5th centuries on the Italian peninsula: "Some of these holdings were locally controlled; the majority as early as the end of the 5th century were administered directly from Rome with great efficiency: a central accounting system was involved in the papal chancery; and a budget was apparently prepared, one part of the income going to the papal administration, another to the needs of the clergy, a third to the maintenance of church buildings, a fourth to charity. These fines enabled the papacy to carry out through the 5th century an ambitious building program, including Santa Maria Maggiore."[36]

Miri Rubin believes that the building of the basilica was influenced also by seeing Mary as one who could represent the imperial ideals of classical Rome, bringing together the old Rome and the new Christian Rome: "In Rome, the city of martyrs, if no longer of emperors, Mary was a figure that could credibly carry imperial memories and representations."[37]

Gregory the Great may have been inspired by Byzantine devotions to the Theotokos (Mother of God) when after becoming Pope during a plague in 590 that had taken the life of his predecessor, he ordered for seven processions to march through the city of Rome chanting Psalms and Kyrie Eleison, in order to appease the wrath of God. The processions began in different parts of the city, but rather than finally converging on St Peter's, who was always the traditional protector of Rome, he instead ordered the processions to converge on Santa Maria Maggiore instead.[38]

When the popes returned to Rome after the period of the Avignon papacy, the buildings of the basilica became a temporary Palace of the Popes[citation needed] due to the deteriorated state of the Lateran Palace. The papal residence was later moved to the Palace of the Vatican in what is now Vatican City.

The basilica was restored, redecorated and extended by various popes, including Eugene III (1145–1153), Nicholas IV (1288–1292), Clement X (1670–1676), and Benedict XIV (1740–1758), who in the 1740s commissioned Ferdinando Fuga to build the present façade and to modify the interior. The interior of the Santa Maria Maggiore underwent a broad renovation encompassing all of its altars between the years 1575 and 1630.

In 1966, archaeologists excavating under the basilica found the remains of a Roman building including an imperial calendar with fasti and agricultural annotations and illustrations.[39] On the basis of the calendar, the ruins have been dated to c. 200 by Salzman[40] and to the 4th century by Magi.[41]

In 2025, Pope Francis was buried at the basilica in the side nave between the Sforza Chapel and the Pauline Chapel.[42]

## Architecture

[edit]

Piazza dell'Esquilino with the apse area of Santa Maria Maggiore

The original architecture of Santa Maria Maggiore was classical and traditionally Roman, perhaps to convey the idea that Santa Maria Maggiore represented old imperial Rome as well as its Christian future. As one scholar puts it, "Santa Maria Maggiore so closely resembles a second-century imperial basilica that it has sometimes been thought to have been adapted from a basilica for use as a Christian church. Its plan was based on Hellenistic principles stated by Vitruvius at the time of Augustus."[43]

Even though Santa Maria Maggiore is immense in its area, it was built to plan. The design of the basilica was a typical one during this time in Rome: "a tall and wide nave; an aisle on either side; and a semicircular apse at the end of the nave."[31] The key aspect that made Santa Maria Maggiore such a significant cornerstone in church building during the early 5th century were the beautiful mosaics found on the triumphal arch and nave. [citation needed]

Detail of the external façade of the apse on the north-west of the church on Piazza dell'Esquilino An interior view of the dome

The Athenian marble columns supporting the nave are even older, and either come from the first basilica, or from another antique Roman building. Thirty-six are marble and four granite, pared down, or shortened to make them identical by Ferdinando Fuga, who provided them with identical gilt-bronze capitals.[44]

The 14th-century campanile, or bell tower, is the highest in Rome, at 246 feet, (about 75 m.). The basilica's 16th-century coffered ceiling, to a design by Giuliano da Sangallo, is said to be gilded with gold, initially brought by Christopher Columbus, presented by Ferdinand and Isabella to the Spanish pope, Alexander VI.[45] The apse mosaic, the Coronation of the Virgin, is from 1295, signed by the Franciscan friar, Jacopo Torriti. The Basilica also contains frescoes by Giovanni Baglione, in the Cappella Borghese.[citation needed]

The 12th-century façade has been masked by a reconstruction, with a screening loggia, that was added by Pope Benedict XIV in 1743, to designs by Ferdinando Fuga that did not damage the mosaics of the façade. The wing of the canonica (sacristy) to its left and a matching wing to the right (designed by Flaminio Ponzio) give the basilica's front the aspect of a palace facing the Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore. To the right of the Basilica's façade is a memorial constituting a column in the form of an up-ended cannon barrel topped with a cross: it was erected by Pope Clement VIII to celebrate the end of the French Wars of Religion.[46]

In the piazza in front of the facade rises a column with a Corinthian capital, topped with a statue of the Virgin and the child Jesus. This Marian column was erected in 1614 to the designs of Carlo Maderno during the papacy of Paul V. Maderno's fountain at the base combines the armorial eagles and dragons of Paul V (Borghese). The column itself was the sole intact remainder from the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine in the Roman Forum.[e] The statue on top of the column was made by the sculptor Guillaume Berthélot and cast by Orazio Censore. In a papal bull from the year of its installation, the pope decreed three years of indulgences to those who uttered a prayer to the Virgin while saluting the column.[47]

## Interior

[edit]

### Fifth-century mosaics

[edit]

The interior of the basilica. The view down the nave towards the high altar

The mosaics found in Santa Maria Maggiore are one of the oldest representations of the Virgin Mary in Christian late antiquity. As one scholar puts it, "This is well demonstrated by the decoration of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome,... where the iconographic depiction of the Virgin Mary was chosen at least in part to celebrate the affirmation of Mary as Theotokos (bearer of God) by the third ecumenical Council of Ephesus in 431 CE."[48]

The mosaics of the triumphal arch and the nave in Santa Maria Maggiore gave a model for the future representations of the Virgin Mary. The influences of these mosaics are rooted in late antique impressionism that could be seen in frescoes, manuscript paintings and many pavement mosaics across villas in Africa, Syria and Sicily during the 5th century.[29] This being said, the crowning of Mary on the Apse was made much later by Torriti by commission of Pope Nicholas IV. (13th century).[citation needed]

These mosaics gave historians insight into artistic, religious, and social movements during this time. As Margaret R. Miles explains the mosaics in Santa Maria Maggiore have two goals: one to glorify the Virgin Mary as Theotokos (God-Bearer); and the other to present "a systematic and comprehensive articulation of the relationship of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian scriptures as one in which the Hebrew Bible foreshadows Christianity."[49] This is explained by the dual images of Old Testament and New Testament events depicted in the mosaics of the triumphal arch and the nave.[34]

The mosaics also show the range of artistic expertise and refute the theory that mosaic technique during the time was based on copying from model books. The mosaics found in Santa Maria Maggiore are combinations of different styles of mosaic art during the time, according to art scholar Robin Cormack: "the range of artistic expertise and the actual complexities of production can hardly be reduced to a mentality of copying. A test case is given by the mosaics of S. Maria Maggiore in Rome".[34]

### Triumphal arch

[edit]

Detail of the mosaic in the triumphal arch, showing Bethlehem

The triumphal arch at the head of the nave was at first referred to as the apse arch, but later became known as the triumphal arch.[50] The triumphal arch is illustrated with magnificent mosaics depicting different scenes of Christ and the Virgin Mary. There was a difference in the styles used in the triumphal arch mosaics compared to those of the nave. The style of the triumphal arch was much more linear and flat as one scholar describes it, not nearly as much action, emotion and movement in them as there were in the Old Testament mosaics of the nave.[34]

One of the first scenes that were visible on the triumphal arch was a panel of Christ's enthronement with a group of angels as his court. As one historian describes it: "On the apse arch Christ is enthroned, a young emperor attended by four chamberlains, angels of course".[31] This is a perfect example of mosaic art in the 5th century. Another panel found on the triumphal arch is of the Virgin. She is crowned and dressed in a colorful veil. Her wardrobe subtly brings to mind that of a Roman empress. She has her divine son walking with her and a suite of angels and Joseph ready to greet her. "The Virgin...shows to perfection the impressionistic character of mosaics."[51]

Another panel is known as the Adoration of the Magi. This mosaic depicts Infant Christ and The Virgin and the arrival of the three wise men, "mosaics illustrating Christ's first coming and his youth covered the triumphal arch."[51] The other panel depicts the Virgin accompanied by five martyrs.[29]

### Nave

[edit]

A nave mosaic from the story of Moses The apse of the basilica

The nave of the basilica was covered in mosaics representing Old Testament events of Moses leading the Jews out of Egypt across the Red Sea. "The nave mosaics (which represents stories of Old Testament history and accordingly offered Christians in Rome a new 'past') are illusionistic in a colorful and impressionist manner"[34] as this scholar puts it the scene was filled with movement, emotion, and it was to inspire thinking of Rome's "new" past; the past of the Old Testament.

As one scholar describes it: "Moses strikes the waters of the Red Sea in a heroic gesture, his toga in light and dark grays and blues, but lined in black, the folds white lines, the tunic underneath light blue; the man next to him wears a deep blue toga over a gray and white tunic."[29]

Another panel shows the demise of the Egyptians in the Red Sea. An observer describes the mosaic: "The Egyptians, clad in blue armor with gold bands and scarlet cloaks wildly flying, drown in the greenish-blue waters; the horses, white or light brown shaded with darker browns, highlighted in white, the accoutrements a bright red."[51]

### Cappella Sistina and Crypt of the Nativity

[edit]

Reliquary of the Holy Crib

Under the high altar of the basilica is the Crypt of the Nativity or Bethlehem Crypt, with a crystal reliquary designed by Giuseppe Valadier said to contain wood from the Holy Crib of the nativity of Jesus Christ.[52] Here is the burial place of Jerome, the 4th-century Doctor of the Church who translated the Bible into the Latin language (the Vulgate).[53]

Altar of Sistine Chapel and Oratory of the Nativity

Fragments of the sculpture of the Nativity believed to be by 13th-century Arnolfo di Cambio were transferred to beneath the altar of the large Sistine Chapel[52] off the right transept of the church. This chapel of the Blessed Sacrament is named after Pope Sixtus V, and is not to be confused with the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican, named after Pope Sixtus IV. The architect Domenico Fontana designed the chapel, which contains the tombs of Sixtus V himself and of his early patron Pope Pius V. The main altar in the chapel has four gilded bronze angels by Sebastiano Torregiani, holding up the ciborium, which is a model of the chapel itself.

Beneath this altar is the Oratory or Chapel of the Nativity, on whose altar, at that time situated in the Crypt of the Nativity below the main altar of the church itself, Ignatius of Loyola celebrated his first Mass as a priest on 25 December 1538.

Just outside the Sistine Chapel is the tomb of Gian Lorenzo Bernini and his family.[53]

The Mannerist interior decoration of the Sistine Chapel was completed (1587–1589) by a large team of artists, directed by Cesare Nebbia and Giovanni Guerra. While the art biographer, Giovanni Baglione allocates specific works to individual artists, recent scholarship finds that the hand of Nebbia drew preliminary sketches for many, if not all, of the frescoes. Baglione also concedes the roles of Nebbia and Guerra could be summarized as "Nebbia drew, and Guerra supervised the teams".[citation needed]

Painter  | Work

|

Giovanni Battista Pozzo  | Angelic Glory, Visitation, Annunciation, Joseph's dream, St. Paul & John Evangelist, St. Peter enters Rome,& Massacre of infants
Lattanzio Mainardi | Tamar, Fares, Zara, Solomon, & Boaz
Hendrick van den Broeck (Arrigo Fiammingo)  | Esrom, Aram, Aminabad & Naassom
Paris Nogari | Ruth, Jesse, David, Solomon & Roboam; & the Holy Family
Giacomo Stella | Jehoshaphat & Jehoram, Jacob, Judah & his brothers, Sacrifice of Isacc
Angiolo Nebbia  | Ozias & Jonathan, Abiud and Eliacim, Manassah and Amon, Josiah and Jechonia, Salatiele & Zorobabel
Salvatore Fontana  | Jacob, Eli, Eliezer and Nathan, Herod orders massacre of the innocents, Annunciation
Cesare Nebbia | Chaziel & Ezekias, Sadoch, Achim, Amoz
Ercole from Bologna  | Flight from Egypt and Mary visits Elisabeth's house
Andrea Lilio | Magi before Herod

Others include Ferdinando Sermei, Giacomo Stella, Paul Bril, and Ferraù Fenzoni.[54]

### Cappella Paolina (or Borghese Chapel) and Salus Populi Romani

[edit]

The Borghese Chapel

The column in the Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore celebrates the famous icon of the Virgin Mary now enshrined in the Borghese Chapel of the basilica. It is known as Salus Populi Romani ("Protectress of the Roman People" or "Health of the Roman People") due to a miracle in which the icon reportedly helped keep plague from the city. The icon is at least a thousand years old, and according to a tradition was painted from life by St Luke the Evangelist using the wooden table of the Holy Family in Nazareth.

Salus Populi Romani, perhaps the oldest Marian image in Rome

The Salus Populi Romani has been praised by several popes and acted as a key Mariological symbol.

Prior to becoming Pope Pius XII, Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli celebrated his first Catholic Mass before the image inside the Borghese Chapel on Easter Sunday, 2 April 1899. In December 1953, the icon was carried through Rome to initiate the first Marian year. On 1 November 1954, the icon was translated and officially crowned by Pope Pius XII at Basilica of Saint Peter as he gave a personal speech and introduced a new Marian feast Queenship of Mary.

Future pontiffs Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis all visited the Salus Populi Romani and led liturgical celebrations.

## Papal basilica

[edit]

As a papal basilica, Santa Maria Maggiore is often used by the pope. He presides over the rites for the annual Feast of the Assumption of Mary on 15 August there. Except for a few priests and the basilica's archpriest, the canopied high altar is reserved for use by the pope alone. Pope Francis visited the basilica on the day after his election.[55]

The pope gives charge of the basilica to an archpriest, usually a cardinal. Formerly, the archpriest was the titular Latin Patriarch of Antioch, a title abolished in 1964. Since 29 December 2016, the archpriest has been Stanisław Ryłko.

In addition to the archpriest and his assistant priests, a chapter of canons is resident. Redemptorist, Dominican and Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate priests serve the church.

The King of Spain, currently Felipe VI, is ex officio protocanon of the basilica's chapter.[56]

As pope, Francis visited the basilica often, mainly to visit the Salus Populi Romani. He visited before and after trips outside the Vatican, calling the icon his "great devotion." He had also constructed a tomb next to the icon to be his final resting place upon his death in 2025. Francis was laid to rest at Santa Maria Maggiore on the afternoon of Saturday, 26 April 2025, following a funeral procession from Vatican City.[57] Francis thereby became the first pope to be interred outside the Vatican since Leo XIII in 1903, and the first pope interred in Santa Maria Maggiore since Clement IX in 1669.[58]

## Archpriests of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore since 1127

[edit]

List of archpriests since 1127.[59][60][61][62][63][f]

* Rainiero (attested 1127–1130)
* Matteo (attested 1153)
* Paolo Scolari (attested 1176–1187)
* Rolando (attested 1189–1193)
* Pietro Sasso (attested 1212)[g]
* Romano (attested 1222)
* Astor (attested 1244)
* Pietro Capocci (?) (named in 1245?)[h]
* Romano (attested 1258)
* Ottobono Fieschi (1262–1276)
* Giacomo Colonna (1288–1297)
* Francesco Napoleone Orsini (administrator 1298–1306)
* Giacomo Colonna (again) (1306–1318)
* Pietro Colonna (1318–1326)
* Luca Fieschi (1326?–1336)
* Giovanni Colonna (1336–1348)
* Nicola Capocci (after 1350–1368)
* Pierre Roger de Beaufort (1368–1370)
* Marino Giudice (?–1385)
* Marino Bulcani (1385–1394)
* Stefano Palosio (1394–1396)
* Enrico Minutoli (1396–1412)
* Rinaldo Brancaccio (1412–1427)
* Francesco Lando (1427)
* Jean de la Rochetaillée (1428–1437)
* Antonio Casini (1437–1439)
* Giovanni Vitelleschi (1439–1440)
* Nicola Albergati (1440–1443)
* Guillaume d'Estouteville (1443–1483)
* Rodrigo Borgia (1483–1492)
* Giovanni Battista Savelli (1492–1498)
* Giovanni Battista Orsini (1498–1503)
* Giuliano Cesarini iuniore (1503–1510)
* Pedro Luis Borja Lanzol de Romani (1510–1511)
* Robert Guibe (1511)
* Francisco de Remolins (1511–1518)
* Leonardo Grosso della Rovere (1518–1520)
* Andrea della Valle (1520–1534)
* Paolo Emilio Cesi (1534–1537)
* Alessandro Farnese (1537–1543)
* Guido Ascanio Sforza (1543–1564)
* Carlo Borromeo (1564–1572)
* Alessandro Sforza (1572–1581)
* Filippo Boncompagni (1581–1586)
* Decio Azzolini (seniore) (1586–1587)
* Domenico Pinelli (1587–1611)
* Michelangelo Tonti (1611–1612)
* Giovanni Garzia Millini (1612–1629)
* Francesco Barberini (1629–1633)
* Antonio Barberini (1633–1671)
* Giacomo Rospigliosi (1671–1684)
* Felice Rospigliosi (1684–1688)
* Philip Thomas Howard (1689–1694)
* Benedetto Pamphili (1694–1699)
* Giacomo Antonio Morigia (1699–1701)
* Pietro Ottoboni (1702–1730)
* Lodovico Pico della Mirandola (1730–1743)
* Girolamo Colonna di Sciarra (1743–1763)
* Marcantonio Colonna (iuniore) (1763–1793)
* Andrea Corsini (1793–1795)
* Gian Francesco Albani (1795–1803)
* Antonio Despuig y Dameto (28 December 1803 – 2 May 1813)
* Giovanni Gallarati Scotti (1814 – 6 October 1819)
* Annibale Francesco Della Genga (10 February 18 – 28 September 1823)
* Benedetto Naro (1 January 1824 – 6 October 1832)
* Carlo Odescalchi (1832 – 21 November 1834)
* Giuseppe Antonio Sala (11 December 1838 – 23 August 1839)
* Luigi del Drago (29 August 1839 – 28 April 1845)
* Costantino Patrizi Naro (24 April 1845 – 21 September 1867)
* Gustav Adolf Hohenlohe (15 July 1878 – 30 October 1896)
* Vincenzo Vannutelli (16 December 1896 – 9 July 1930)
* Bonaventura Cerretti (16 July 1930 – 8 May 1933)
* Angelo Dolci (22 May 1933 – 13 September 1939)
* Alessandro Verde (11 October 1939 – 29 March 1958)
* Carlo Confalonieri (16 November 1959 – 1 August 1986)
* Luigi Dadaglio (15 December 1986 – 22 August 1990)
* Ugo Poletti (17 January 1991 – 25 February 1997)
* Carlo Furno (29 September 1997 – 27 May 2004)
* Bernard Francis Law (27 May 2004 – 21 November 2011)
* Santos Abril y Castelló (21 November 2011 – 28 December 2016)
* Stanisław Ryłko (28 December 2016 – 4 July 2025)
* Rolandas Makrickas (4 July 2025)[64]

## Major works of art in the basilica

[edit]

Pauline Chapel dome frescoes, by Guido Reni

* Ancient Roman agricultural calendar
* Early Christian mosaic cycle depicting Old Testament events, 5th century
* The Salus Populi Romani, a much venerated early icon of the Virgin and Child.
* Funerary monument of Clement IX (1671) by Carlo Rainaldi with the papal bust by Domenico Guidi.
* Statue of King Philip IV of Spain by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1666.
* Temporary catafalque for Philip IV of Spain designed in 1665 by Rainaldi, no longer exists.
* Funerary monument of Pope Nicholas IV, designed by Domenico Fontana in 1574.
* Bust of Costanzo Patrizi by Algardi.
* Sacristy frescoes by Domenico Passignano and Giuseppe Puglia,
* High altar sculpture by Pietro Bracci, (c. 1750).
* Statue of Pius IX in prayer by Ignazio Jacometti, (c. 1880).
* Pauline Chapel frescoes, by Guido Reni
* Frescoes for the monument of Clement VIII, Lanfranco
* Cesi Chapel tombs by Guglielmo della Porta
* Altar, confessio and Presepio (crib) sculptures by Arnolfo di Cambio, about 1290

## Burials in the church

[edit]

Further information: List of extant papal tombs

Part of a series on the
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Immaculate Conception by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (c. 1675)

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Catholic Church portal

* v
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### Artists

[edit]

* Gian Lorenzo Bernini
* Girolamo Muziano

### Nobility

[edit]

* Pauline Bonaparte
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### Clergy and religious figures

[edit]

* Archbishop Domenico Caloyera
* Cardinal Guido Ascanio Sforza di Santa Fiora
* Cardinal Ugo Poletti
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* Saint Jerome, relics

### Popes

[edit]

* Pope Clement VIII
* Pope Clement IX
* Pope Francis[65]
* Pope Honorius III (no longer extant)
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## Gallery

[edit]

*   *   *   *   * Tomb of Clement VIII

* Tomb of Pope Francis

* Pope Pius IX - Ignazio Jacometti

* Ave Regina Pacis

* Baptismal chapel

* Statue of King Philip IV of Spain

## See also

[edit]

* Properties of the Holy See
* Roman Catholic Marian churches
* Dedication of the Basilica of St Mary Major, feast day
* Index of Vatican City-related articles
* San Ciriaco alle Terme Diocleziane

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ The church is also referred to as Santa Maria delle Nevi, from the Latin Sancta Maria ad Nives, literally 'Saint Mary of the Snows'.
2. ^ Italian: Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore; Latin: Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris or Basilica Sanctae Mariae ad Nives. The official name seems to vary: the Holy See Press Office uses "Papal Liberian Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome" in English in a 2011 note Archived 3 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine, while the official Vatican site for the Basilica uses various formulas not including "Liberian" or Liberiana, some under a coat of arms that includes basilica Liberiana in Italian.
3. ^ This triptych painted around 1423 was commissioned for the basilica by a member of the Colonna family; it is now in the Museo di Capodimonte, Naples (Paul Joannides, "The Colonna Triptych by Masolino and Masaccio," Arte Cristiana no. 728 (1988:339–)). The miracle is depicted as witnessed by a crowd of men and women, with Jesus and the Virgin Mary observing from above.
4. ^ See for example the Holy See's press office using "Papal Liberian Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome" in English in a 2011 note Archived 3 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine, while the official Vatican website for the church uses various formulas, some under a coat of arms that includes "basilica Liberiana" in Italian.
5. ^ Prior authors refer to its derivation from the Tempio della Pace or Temple of Peace, which was the name attributed to the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine before the 18th-century.
6. ^ Note that, initially, not all archpriests of the basilica were cardinals.
7. ^ Archpriest Pietro Sasso is commonly identified with contemporary cardinal Pietro Sasso of S. Pudenziana (1206–1218/19). However, this identification remains uncertain because the only document which mentions this archpriest (dated 3 July 1212) makes no reference to his cardinalate, cf. Ferri in ASRSP, vol. 28, p. 24.
8. ^ Cardinal Pietro Capocci (died 1259) is mentioned in the majority of the catalogs of archpriests of Liberian Basilica but the documents from the archive of the Basilica, published by Ferri in ASRSP, vol. 27, pp. 34–39 and vol. 30, p. 119, give no support for this affirmation. Document dated 19 March 1244 mentions Astor (or Aston) as archpriest, documents between 13 February 1247 and 1 October 1255 mention archpriest without mentioning his name but also without indicating his cardinalate, and on 28 May 1258 Romano was archpriest of the Basilica; the latest document mentions also cardinal Pietro Capocci but makes no reference to his occupation of that post. If he was really an archpriest under Innocent IV, he must have later resigned, but it seems more likely that this statement resulted from a confusion.

## References

[edit]

### Citations

[edit]

1. ^ "Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura". Whc.unesco.org. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
2. ^ "Un santuario che irradia la presenza di Maria" [A sanctuary that radiates the presence of Mary] (in Italian). L'Osservatore Romano. 5 August 2023.
3. ^ a b Lateran Treaty of 1929, Article 15 ([1])
4. ^ Lateran Treaty of 1929, Article 13 ([2])
5. ^ Gregorii XVI, Papam. Litteræ Apostolicæ: Cælestis Regina Maxima Virginum Mariæ Sanctissima Dei Genetrix, CLXXXIII Vatican Secret Archives, Actas Gregorii XVI Papae, p. 271.
6. ^ a b c Calendarium Romanum 1969, p. 99
7. ^ As reported in the 1911 Catholic Encyclopedia.
8. ^ As reported in the 1911 Catholic Encyclopedia.
9. ^ Dedication of St. Mary Major Basilica
10. ^ Loomis 1916, p. 77
11. ^ Miles 1993, p. 157
12. ^ a b Ott 1913, Our Lady of the Snow
13. ^ a b Pius Parsch, The Church's Year of Grace quoted in Catholic Culture: "Ordinary Time, 5 August"
14. ^ Rubin 2009, p. 95
15. ^ Encyclical Slavorum Apostoli, 5
16. ^ Stephen M. Donovan, "Crib" in Catholic Encyclopedia 1908 Archived 17 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine
17. ^ Joan Carroll Cruz, Relics[permanent dead link] (Our Sunday Visitor 1984 ISBN 978-0-87973-701-6), p. 22
18. ^ Missale Romanum Archived 15 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine, 1962 edition, p. 17
19. ^ Missale Romanum, 1962 edition, p. 20
20. ^ Robert F. McNamara, Minor Basilicas in the United States
21. ^ Basilicas
22. ^ John Hardon, Modern Catholic Dictionary 1980
23. ^ "Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major". Retrieved 14 July 2024.
24. ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Patriarch and Patriarchate" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
25. ^ "Why is Pope Francis embracing the patriarchy (of the West)?". The Pillar. 10 April 2024.
26. ^ La Visita alle Sette Chiese
27. ^ Panvinio, Onofrio (1570). Le sette chiese romane. Rome. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
28. ^ Sacchi, Guido. "La visita alle Sette Chiese: cenni storici" (in Italian). Retrieved 12 August 2011.
29. ^ a b c d Krautheimer 1980, p. 49
30. ^ Krautheimer 1980, p. 52
31. ^ a b c Krautheimer 1980, p. 46
32. ^ Vassilaki 2000, p. 10
33. ^ Pirlo 1997, p. 7
34. ^ a b c d e Cormack 2000, p. 889
35. ^ Vassilaki 2000, p. 132
36. ^ Krautheimer 1980, pp. 69–70
37. ^ Rubin 2009, pp. 95–96
38. ^ Andrew J. Ekonomou. Byzantine Rome and Greek Popes. Lexington Books, 2007 [page needed][ISBN missing]
39. ^ Dyson (2010), p. 295.
40. ^ Salzman (1990), p. 11.
41. ^ Magi (1972).
42. ^ Merlo, Francesca (26 April 2025). "Pope Francis' mortal remains buried in St. Mary Major". Vatican News.
43. ^ Miles 1993, p. 158
44. ^ Beny & Gunn 1981, p. 106
45. ^ Charles A. Coulombe, Vicars of Christ, p. 330.
46. ^ Basilica memorial to celebrate the end of the French Wars of Religion; accessed 22 March 2014.
47. ^ Il Divoto Pellegrino Guidato, ed Istruito nella Visita delle quattro Basiliche di Roma, per il Giubileo dell'Anno Santo 1750., Stamperia del Characas, presso San Marco al Corso, Rome, 1749, pp. 338–339.
48. ^ Gwynn & Bangert 2010, p. 235
49. ^ Miles 1993, p. 160
50. ^ Krautheimer 1980, p. 47
51. ^ a b c Krautheimer 1980, p. 48
52. ^ a b Inside the Basilica
53. ^ a b Sacred Destinations: SantaMariaMaggiore, Rome
54. ^ Eitel-Porter 1997, pp. 452–462
55. ^ Davies, Lizzy (14 March 2013). "Pope Francis eschews trappings of papacy on first day in office". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
56. ^ Liberian Chapter
57. ^ Merlo, Francesca (26 April 2025). "Pope Francis' mortal remains buried in St. Mary Major". Vatican News. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
58. ^ "The pope says he wants to be buried in the Rome basilica, not in the Vatican". Associated Press News. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
59. ^ Moroni 1840, pp. 127–135
60. ^ Respective biographical entries on Essay of a General List of Cardinals by Salvador Miranda
61. ^ Ferri 1904, pp. 147–202 and 441–459
62. ^ Ferri 1905, pp. 23–39
63. ^ Ferri 1907, pp. 119–168
64. ^ https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2025/07/04/250704b.html
65. ^ "Notice from the Office of Liturgical Celebrations: Interment of the coffin of the Roman Pontiff Francis, 23.04.2025". 23 April 2025. Retrieved 26 April 2025.

### Bibliography

[edit]

* Holy See (1969). Calendarium Romanum: ex decreto Sacrosancti Oecumenici Concilii Vaticani II instauratum. Vatican State: Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis.
* Beny, Roloff; Gunn, Peter (1981). The churches of Rome. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-43447-2.
* Cormack, Robin (2000). "Chapter 30: The Visual Arts". In Cameron, Averil; Ward-Perkins, Bryan; Whitby, Michael (eds.). The Cambridge ancient history. empire and successors, AD 425–600. Vol. XIV. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-32591-2.
* Dyson, Stephen L. (2010), Rome: A Living Portrait of an Ancient City, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, ISBN 9781421401010.
* Eitel-Porter, Rhoda (1997). "Artistic Co-Operation in Late Sixteenth-Century Rome: Sistine Chapel in S. Maria Maggiore and the Scala Santa". The Burlington Magazine. 139 (1139): 452–462\. JSTOR 887503.
* Ferri, G. (1904). Le carte dell'Archivio Liberiano dal secolo X al XV. Archivio della Società Romana di Storia Patria (in Italian). Vol. 27.
* Ferri, G. (1905). Le carte dell'Archivio Liberiano dal secolo X al XV (continua). Archivio della Società Romana di Storia Patria (in Italian). Vol. 28.
* Ferri, G. (1907). Le carte dell'Archivio Liberiano dal secolo X al XV (continuazione e fine). Archivio della Società Romana di Storia Patria (in Italian). Vol. 30.
* Gwynn, David M.; Bangert, Susanne (2010). Religious diversity in late antiquity. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-18000-0.
* Krautheimer, Richard (1980). Rome : profile of a city, 312–1308. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-00319-1.
* Loomis, Louise Ropes (1916). The Book of Popes (Liber Pontificalis). New York: Columbia University Press. OCLC 1941708.
* Magi, Filippo (1972), Il Calendario Dipinto sotto Santa Maria Maggiore, Atti della Pontificia Accademia Romana di Archeologia, Vol. III (in Italian), Rome: Tipografia Poliglotta Vaticana.
* Miles, Margaret R. (1993). "Santa Maria Maggiore's Fifth-Century Mosaics: Triumphal Christianity and the Jews". Harvard Theological Review. 86 (2): 155–172\. doi:10.1017/S001781600003114X. S2CID 154086584. "The fifth-century mosaics of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome represent the oldest surviving program of mosaic decoration in a Christian church."
* Moroni, Gaetano (1840). "Notizie sul capitolo ed arcipreti della basilica di s. Maria Maggiore". Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica da S. Pietro sino ai nostri giorni (in Italian). Vol. 12\. Tipografia Emiliana. pp. 127–135. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
* Ott, Michael (1913). "Our Lady of the Snow" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
* Pirlo, Paolo O. (1997). "Mary, Mother of God". My First Book of Saints. Sons of Holy Mary Immaculate – Quality Catholic Publications. ISBN 971-91595-4-5.
* Rubin, Miri (2009). Mother of God : a history of the Virgin Mary. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-10500-1.
* Salzman, Michele Renee (1990), On Roman Time: The Codex Calendar of 354 and the Rhythms of Urban Life in Late Antiquity, Berkeley: University of California Press, ISBN 9780520909106.
* Vassilaki, Maria (2000). The mother of God : representations of the Virgin in Byzantine art. Milano: Skira. ISBN 88-8118-738-8.
* Warland, Rainer (2003). "The Concept of Rome in Late Antiquity reflected in the mosaics of the Triumphal Arch of S. Maria Maggiore in Rome" (PDF). Acta Ad Archaeologiam et Artium Historiam Pertinentia. 17: 127–141\. ISSN 0333-1512. Retrieved 4 August 2011.

## External links

[edit]

Wikisource has the text of the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article Our Lady of the Snow.

* Eternal Word Television Network, Global Catholic Network (EWTN) Profile of Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.
* Kunsthistorie.com gallery Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
* Satellite Photo of St. Mary's Major Basilica
* Official website
* "Santa Maria Maggiore" . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.
* High-resolution 360° Panoramas and Images of Santa Maria Maggiore | Art Atlas
* "Beggar's Rome" – A self-directed virtual tour of Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica and other Roman churches

Media related to Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore (Rome) at Wikimedia Commons

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* Chair of Saint Peter
* Door of the Dead
* Monument to the Royal Stuarts
* St. Peter's Baldachin
* Saint Longinus
* Pietà
* Vatican Necropolis
* Saint Peter's tomb
* Papal tombs
* Tomb of the Julii
* Vatican Grottoes

|

Apostolic Palace|

* Redemptoris Mater Chapel
* Borgia Apartments
* Clementine Hall
* Loggias
* Papal apartments
* Stufetta del cardinal Bibbiena
* Cappella Paolina
* Raphael Rooms
* Niccoline Chapel
* Sala Ducale
* Sala Regia
* Scala Regia
* The Vision of Constantine
* Sistine Chapel
* altarpiece
* ceiling
* Room of Tears

Vatican Museums|

* Historical
* Paintings
* Modern and Contemporary Art
* Pio-Clementino
* Chiaramonti
* Gregoriano Etrusco
* Gregoriano Egiziano
* Pio Cristiano
* Ethnographic
* Bramante Staircase
* Maps

* Gregorian Tower
* Casina Pio IV
* Sant'Anna dei Palafrenieri
* Domus Sanctae Marthae
* Holy Spirit Chapel
* Gardens
* Santa Maria della Pietà in Camposanto dei Teutonici
* Collegio Teutonico
* Teutonic Cemetery
* Mater Ecclesiae Monastery
* Sant'Egidio in Borgo
* Santi Martino e Sebastiano degli Svizzeri
* Paul VI Audience Hall
* The Resurrection
* Passetto di Borgo
* San Pellegrino in Vaticano
* St. Peter's Square
* Via della Conciliazione
* Fountains
* Porta San Pellegrino
* Ricciolo d'Italia
* Saint John's Tower
* Santo Stefano degli Abissini
* Vatican Pharmacy
* Vatican Hill

Politics|

* Elections
* Foreign relations
* Vicar General
* Law

* Crime
* Fundamental Law

Governance|

* Pope Leo XIV
* Cardinal Secretary of State Vacant

Government|

* Roman Curia
* Apostolic Camera
* Commissions
* For Vatican City State
* Councils
* Congregations
* Dicasteries

Military|

* Corps of Gendarmerie
* Swiss Guard
* See also: Corps of Firefighters

Economy|

* Banking
* Vatican euro coins
* Communications
* .va [Internet domain]
* Poste Vaticane
* Postage stamps and postal history
* Homelessness
* Secretariat for the Economy
* Tourism

Infrastructure|

* Transport
* Heliport
* Rail

Culture|

* Academy of Sciences
* AT telescope
* observatory
* Architecture
* Archives
* Apostolic Archive
* Climate Forest
* Demographics
* Languages
* Library
* film
* Music
* Sistine Chapel Choir
* Philatelic and Numismatic Office
* Public holidays

| Media|

* Holy See Press Office
* Vatican Information Service
* Vatican Media
* Vatican News
* Vatican Radio
* Vatican Television Center
* Vatican News App
* Vatican Publishing House
* Acta Apostolicae Sedis
* Annuario Pontificio
* L'Osservatore Romano
* Pope2you

|

Religion|

* Catholic Church

Symbols|

* Anthem
* Coat of arms
* Flag

Sports|

* Amateur Sports Association
* Cricket team
* National football team (Men)
* National football team (Women)
* Vatican Athletics

* Vatican City portal
* Catholic Church portal

Preceded by
Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran | Landmarks of Rome
Santa Maria Maggiore  | Succeeded by
Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls

|
|

* v
* t
* e

Landmarks of Rome

Walls and gates|

* Aurelian Walls
* Ardeatina
* Asinaria
* Latina
* Maggiore
* Metronia
* Nomentana
* Pia
* Pinciana
* Popolo
* Portese
* San Pancrazio
* San Paolo
* San Giovanni
* San Sebastiano
* Settimiana
* Tiburtina
* Leonine Wall
* Cavalleggeri
* Pertusa
* Santo Spirito
* Castra Praetoria
* Janiculum Wall
* Terreus Wall
* Romuli Wall
* Servian Wall
* Caelimontana
* Capena
* Collina
* Dolabella
* Esquilina
* Fontinalis
* Gallienus
* Viminale
* Naevia
* Querquetulana
* Trigemina

Ancient obelisks|

* Lateran Obelisk
* Flaminian Obelisk
* Obelisk of Minerveo
* Obelisk of Montecitorio

Art|

* Apollo Belvedere
* Augustus of Prima Porta
* Colossus of Constantine
* La Bocca della Verità
* Laocoön and His Sons
* Ludovisi Battle sarcophagus
* Ecstasy of Saint Teresa
* Pietà
* Portonaccio sarcophagus
* Raphael Rooms
* Sistine Chapel ceiling
* Velletri Sarcophagus

Ancient Roman
landmarks|

| Triumphal arches|

* Arch of Constantine
* Arch of Dolabella
* Arch of Drusus
* Arch of Gallienus
* Arch of Janus
* Arch of Septimius Severus
* Arch of Titus
* Arcus Novus

|

Aqueducts|

* Aqua Appia
* Aqua Alexandrina
* Aqua Anio Vetus
* Aqua Anio Novus
* Aqua Claudia
* Aqua Julia
* Aqua Marcia
* Aqua Tepula

Sewers|

* Cloaca Maxima
* Cloaca Circi Maximi

Public baths|

* Baths of Agrippa
* Baths of Caracalla
* Baths of Diocletian
* Baths of Nero
* Baths of Trajan

Religious|

* Ara Pacis
* Temple of Antoninus and Faustina
* Temple of Apollo Palatinus
* Temple of Apollo Sosianus
* Temple of Hadrian
* Temple of Hercules Victor
* Temple of Janus
* Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus
* Temple of Jupiter Tonans
* Temple of Minerva Medica
* Temple of Portunus
* Temple of Saturn
* Temple of Vesta
* House of the Vestals
* Largo di Torre Argentina
* Lupercal
* Pantheon
* Porta Maggiore Basilica

Fora|

* Roman Forum
* Imperial fora
* Forum of Augustus
* Forum of Caesar
* Forum of Nerva
* Forum of Vespasian
* Trajan's Forum
* Forum Boarium
* Forum Holitorium

Civic|

* Basilica Argentaria
* Basilica Julia
* Basilica of Junius Bassus
* Basilica of Maxentius
* Basilica of Neptune
* Basilica Ulpia
* Comitium
* Curia Julia
* Portico Dii Consentes
* Porticus Octaviae
* Tabularium

Entertainment|

* Circus Maximus
* Circus of Maxentius
* Circus of Nero
* Colosseum
* Ludus Magnus
* Gardens of Maecenas
* Gardens of Sallust
* Stadium of Domitian
* Theatre of Marcellus
* Theatre of Pompey

Palaces and villae|

* Domus Augustana
* Domus Aurea
* Domus Transitoria
* Flavian Palace
* House of Augustus
* Palace of Domitian
* Villa Gordiani
* Villa of Livia
* Insula dell'Ara Coeli
* Villa of the Quintilii
* Villa of the sette bassi

Column monuments|

* Column of Antoninus Pius
* Column of Marcus Aurelius
* "Column of Phocas"
* Trajan's Column
* Five-Columns Monument

Commerce|

* Porticus Aemilia
* Trajan's Market

Tombs|

* Casal Rotondo
* Catacombs of Domitilla
* Catacombs of Rome
* Catacombs of San Sebastiano
* Columbarium of Pomponius Hylas
* Mausoleum of Augustus
* Mausoleum of Helena
* Mausoleum of Maxentius
* Pyramid of Cestius
* Tomb of Eurysaces the Baker
* Tomb of Hilarus Fuscus
* Tomb of the Haterii
* Tomb of the Scipios
* Tombs of Via Latina
* Tomb of Priscilla
* Vigna Randanini

Bridges|

* Pons Cestius
* Pons Fabricius
* Ponte Milvio
* Ponte Sant'Angelo

Roman Catholic
basilicas|

* Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran
* Basilica of Saint Mary Major
* Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
* Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican
* S. Lorenzo fuori le mura
* S. Agnese fuori le mura
* S. Agostino
* S. Anastasia al Palatino
* S. Andrea delle Fratte
* S. Andrea della Valle
* S. Antonio da Padova in Via Merulana
* S. Apollinare alle Terme
* Ss. Apostoli
* S. Balbina
* S. Bartolomeo all'Isola
* Ss. Bonifacio ed Alessio
* S. Camillo de Lellis
* S. Carlo al Corso
* S. Cecilia in Trastevere
* Ss. Celso e Giuliano
* S. Clemente
* Ss. Cosma e Damiano
* S. Crisogono
* S. Croce in Via Flaminia
* S. Croce in Gerusalemme
* S. Eugenio
* S. Eustachio
* S. Francesca Romana
* S. Giovanni a Porta Latina
* S. Giovanni dei Fiorentini
* Ss. Giovanni e Paolo
* S. Lorenzo in Damaso
* S. Lorenzo in Lucina
* S. Maria Ausiliatrice
* S. Marco
* S. Maria degli Angeli
* S. Maria dei Miracoli
* S. Maria in Montesanto
* S. Maria in Cosmedin
* S. Maria in Domnica
* S. Maria in Aracoeli
* S. Maria del Popolo
* S. Maria sopra Minerva
* S. Maria in Trastevere
* S. Maria in Via
* S. Maria in Via Lata
* S. Maria della Vittoria
* S. Martino ai Monti
* Ss. Nereo e Achilleo
* S. Nicola in Carcere
* S. Pancrazio
* Pantheon
* S. Pietro in Vincoli
* S. Prassede
* S. Pudenziana
* Ss. Quattro Coronati
* S. Saba
* S. Sabina
* Sacro Cuore di Maria
* Sacro Cuore di Cristo Re
* Sacro Cuore di Gesù a Castro Pretorio
* S. Sebastiano fuori le mura
* S. Silvestro in Capite
* S. Sisto Vecchio
* S. Sofia a Via Boccea
* S. Stefano Rotondo
* S. Teresa
* S. Vitale

Other churches|

* List of churches in Rome

Castles and palaces|

* Arx
* Casa dei Cavalieri di Rodi
* Castel Sant'Angelo
* Domus Internationalis Paulus VI
* Palazzo Aragona Gonzaga
* Palazzo Barberini
* Palazzo Barberini ai Giubbonari
* Palazzo Borghese
* Palazzo della Cancelleria
* Palazzo Chigi
* Palazzo Colonna
* Palazzo della Consulta
* Palazzo Farnese
* Palazzo Fusconi-Pighini
* Palazzo Giustinani
* Lateran Palace
* Palazzo Madama
* Palazzo Malta
* Palazzo di Giustizia
* Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne
* Palazzo Mattei
* Palazzo del Quirinale
* Palazzo Pamphilj
* Palazzo Poli
* Palazzo Riario
* Palazzo Ruspoli
* Palazzo Spada
* Palazzo Valentini
* Palazzo Vidoni-Caffarelli
* Palazzo del Viminale
* Palazzo Wedekind
* Palazzo Zuccari
* Villa Farnesina
* Villa Giulia
* Villa Madama

Fountains|

* Api
* Acqua Felice
* Acqua Paola
* Babuino
* Barcaccia
* Il Facchino
* Marforio
* Moro
* Nasone
* Navicella
* Neptune
* Nettuno
* del Pantheon
* Pianto
* di Piazza d'Aracoeli
* di Piazza Colonna
* di Piazza Farnese
* della Piazza dei Quiriti
* di Piazza Nicosia
* in Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere
* di Ponte Sisto
* Quattro Fiumi
* Quattro Fontane
* Tartarughe
* Trevi Fountain
* Tritons
* Tritone

Other landmarks|

* Altare della Patria (Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of Italy)
* Campo Verano
* Capocci Tower
* Column of the Immaculate Conception
* Conti Tower
* Hospital of the Holy Spirit
* Milizie Tower
* Sisto Bridge
* Spanish Steps

Squares, streets
and public spaces|

* Appian Way
* Campo de' Fiori
* Clivus Capitolinus
* Piazza Colonna
* Piazza d'Aracoeli
* Piazza del Popolo
* Piazza della Minerva
* Piazza della Repubblica
* Piazza Farnese
* Piazza Navona
* Piazza San Pietro
* Piazza di Spagna
* Piazza Venezia
* Via dei Coronari
* Via del Corso
* Via della Conciliazione
* Via dei Fori Imperiali
* Via Sacra
* Via Veneto

Parks, gardens
and zoos|

* Bioparco
* Villa Ada
* Villa Borghese gardens
* Villa Doria Pamphili
* Villa Medici
* Villa Torlonia
* Parco degli Acquedotti

Museums and
art galleries|

* Boncompagni Ludovisi Decorative Art Museum
* Capitoline Museums
* Casa di Goethe
* Galleria Borghese
* Galleria Comunale d'Arte Moderna
* Galleria Doria Pamphilj
* Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica
* Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna
* Giorgio de Chirico House Museum
* Galleria Spada
* Jewish Museum of Rome
* Keats–Shelley Memorial House
* MAXXI
* Museo Archeologico Ostiense
* Museo di Scultura Antica Giovanni Barracco
* Museo Civico di Zoologia
* Museo delle anime del Purgatorio
* Museo delle Mura
* Museo di Roma
* Museo di Roma in Trastevere
* Museo nazionale del Palazzo di Venezia
* Museo Nazionale Etrusco
* Museo Nazionale Romano
* Museo Storico Nazionale dell'Arte Sanitaria
* Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome
* Museum of Roman Civilization
* Museum of the Ara Pacis
* Museum of the Liberation of Rome
* National Museum of Oriental Art
* Palazzo Colonna
* Palazzo delle Esposizioni
* Pigorini National Museum
* Porta San Paolo Railway Museum
* Santa Cecilia Musical Instruments Museum
* Venanzo Crocetti Museum

Landscape|

| Seven Hills|

* Aventine
* Caelian
* Capitoline
* Esquiline
* Palatine
* Quirinal
* Viminal

|

* Tiber Island
* Monte Testaccio

Metropolitan City
of Rome Capital|

* Appian Way Regional Park
* Capo di Bove
* Castello Orsini-Odescalchi
* Frascati
* Hadrian's Villa
* Ostia Antica
* Villa Aldobrandini
* Villa d'Este
* Villa Farnese

Events and traditions|

* Festa della Repubblica
* Rome Quadriennale
* Rome Film Festival

Enclave|

* Vatican City

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Czech Republic
* Israel

Geographic|

* Structurae
* MusicBrainz place
* Pleiades

Other|

* IdRef
* Kulturenvanteri monument
* Yale LUX

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