Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is the largest church in Rome dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is one of the four papal basilicas or major basilicas in Rome. It was commissioned by Pope Liberius in 360 A.D. According to the founding legend, he wanted a shrine built at the site where an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary manifested herself in identical dreams shared by a local patrician and his wife and by the pope. The outline of the church was physically laid out on the ground of the noble's property by Liberius himself under a miraculous but predicted snowfall on the night August 4, 352 A.D. The miracle of the snow is commemorated each year by a service during which thousands of white petals float down from the ceiling of Santa Maria. Santa Maria has the most successful blend of different architectural styles. The Cosmatesque marble floor and Romanesque bell tower, with its blue ceramic roundels, are medieval. The Renaissance saw a new coffered ceiling, and the Baroque gave the church twin domes and its imposing front and rear facades. Santa Maria Maggiore is the only Roman basilica that retained the core of its original structure, left intact despite several additional construction projects and damage from the earthquake of 1348. Below the sanctuary of Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is the Crypt of the Nativity or the Bethlehem Crypt, it is believed to contain remains from the original pieces of Jesus’ Nativity crib. I chose this Church because of the interesting legend behind its construction. The average Roman must have had immense devotion at the time it was built, and still today, because of the miraculous event which led to its construction. I really like the Coronation of the Virgin Mosaic.
Luisa Betancur, Survey of Art and Architecture, University of Florida
No comments:
Post a Comment