PAPAL BASILICA OF SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE – GUIDE BOOK

PAPAL BASILICA OF SAINT MARY MAJOR – THE GUIDE

The definitive, up-to-date guide to exploring the spaces and artistic masterpieces of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major: the preeminent Marian temple and a timeless icon of art, history, and spirituality.

Through unprecedented photography and authoritative insights from the Artistic-Scientific Director of the Basilica and the Liberian Museum, readers are offered an exclusive journey of discovery—a blend of cultural depth and profound emotion.

As the only one among Rome’s great Early Christian basilicas to have preserved its original splendor, Saint Mary Major houses centuries of masterpieces, treasures, and relics within a heritage of extraordinary beauty.

A Journey Through Art and Faith

The powerful and evocative visual narrative highlights the Basilica’s majesty and its most iconic symbols:

• The Holy Crib (Sacra Culla)

• The Salus Populi Romani icon

• The Triumphal Arch Mosaics

• Arnolfo di Cambio’s Nativity Scene

Leading the reader is Andreas Raub, a distinguished expert on the Basilica. He retraces the grand commissions of Popes and Cardinals responsible for its magnificence, providing an authoritative, engaging, and content-rich experience.

Product Specifications

• Format: 15 x 21 cm

• Pages: 48

• Images: 42

• Language: Italian / English

• ISBN: 79-12-80717-29-0

• • INDEX

  • Bethlehem in Rome

  • The Origins

  • The Early Christian Basilica

  • Pope Nicholas IV (1288–1292) at Saint Mary Major

  • The Basilica in the Fifteenth Century

  • The Sforza and Cesi Chapels

  • The Sistine Chapel (Note: The “Sixtine” Chapel of St. Mary Major)

  • The Pauline Chapel

  • Restorations and Renovations

  • The Liberian Museum