Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome

Santa Maria Maggiore opening hours and entry

The basilica opens every day from about 7:00 to 18:45, and entry is free. Bags and clothing are checked at the door: shoulders and knees must be covered. A separate ticketed tour climbs to the loggia to see the 13th-century mosaics on the old façade up close; there's also a small museum. Check current times and prices on the basilica's site.

A short history

'St Mary Major' is the greatest of Rome's churches dedicated to the Virgin. It was built under Pope Sixtus III around 432–440, right after the Council of Ephesus declared Mary the Mother of God. It's one of the four papal basilicas and the only one that keeps its 5th-century layout.

Its founding legend involves snow: on the night of 5 August 358 the Virgin is said to have appeared to a Roman patrician and Pope Liberius, and next morning snow outlined the church's plan on the Esquiline. Every 5 August, white petals drift down from the ceiling during Mass — the feast of Our Lady of the Snows.

The mosaics

The treasure here is the 5th-century mosaic cycle. Above the nave columns, 27 panels tell Old Testament stories of Abraham, Jacob, Moses and Joshua. On the triumphal arch before the altar are scenes of Christ's infancy — the Annunciation, the Magi and more — among the earliest depictions of the Virgin anywhere.

The apse holds Jacopo Torriti's 13th-century Coronation of the Virgin. Another 13th-century mosaic decorates the old façade, now hidden behind the 18th-century loggia — you'll only see it on the loggia tour.

What to see inside

• Coffered ceiling — said to be gilded with the first gold brought from the Americas.
• Nave and triumphal-arch mosaics — 5th century.
• Pauline (Borghese) Chapel — home of the Salus Populi Romani icon.
• The basilica's own Sistine Chapel — tombs of popes Sixtus V and Pius V (not the Vatican one).
• Relic of the Holy Crib — in the crypt below the high altar.
• Bernini's grave — a plain slab to the right of the altar.
• Tomb of Pope Francis — in the side aisle near the Pauline Chapel.
• Bell tower — Rome's tallest, about 75 metres.

Pope Francis's tomb and other burials

Several popes lie here — Sixtus V, Pius V, Paul V and Clement VIII — along with Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who asked for an unadorned slab beside the altar. In 2025 Pope Francis was buried here at his own request, near the Salus Populi Romani icon he visited before every trip abroad. His simple tomb, marked 'Franciscus', draws a steady line of pilgrims.

Best time to visit

Mornings are best, when light from the high windows catches the nave mosaics, and weekdays are calmer than weekends. On 5 August the snow-petal Mass makes for crowds, but it's the most memorable day of the year to be here.

Is Santa Maria Maggiore worth it?

Yes — it's one of Rome's most beautiful and oldest basilicas, free, and five minutes from Termini. Mosaics this old are rare even in Rome. It's an easy stop on your first or last day, on the way to or from the airport train.

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How to do it right

• Five minutes from Termini — perfect before a train.
• The nave mosaics glow in morning light.
• Bernini's slab is right of the altar.
• On 5 August petals fall like snow.

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