# Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome

> Santa Maria Maggiore is one of Rome's four papal basilicas, built in the 5th century and still holding mosaics from that time. Bernini and Pope Francis are buried here. Entry is free and it opens daily from about 7:00 to 18:45; it's five minutes' walk from Termini station, and 40 minutes is enough for a visit.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-maggiore

- City: [Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome), Italy
- YesGo score: 62/100 (Yes, go)
- Time on site: 40 min
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Entry: Free
- Loggia and museum: Ticketed, timed visits to the 13th-century façade mosaics
- Opening hours: ≈ 7:00–18:45 daily
- Dress code: Shoulders and knees covered — checked at the door
- Time needed: 40 minutes
- Location: Esquiline Hill, 500 m from Termini; Metro A/B Termini
- Coordinates: 41.89750, 12.49861
- Facts checked: 10.11.2026

## Key facts

- **c. 432–440** — built under Pope Sixtus III (source: English Wikipedia)
- **5th century** — nave and triumphal-arch mosaics — among Rome's oldest (source: English Wikipedia)
- **≈ 75 m** — the 14th-century bell tower, Rome's tallest (source: English Wikipedia)
- **1 of 4** — papal basilicas of Rome (source: English Wikipedia)
- **Bernini** — is buried here under a plain slab by the altar (source: English Wikipedia)
- **2025** — Pope Francis was laid to rest here (source: English Wikipedia)
- **5 August** — Our Lady of the Snows: white petals fall from the ceiling (source: English Wikipedia)

## 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.

> **At Pope Francis's tomb** There's often a short queue to pass the tomb. Keep moving, stay quiet and don't use flash. During Mass visitors are asked to keep out of the central nave.

## How to get to Santa Maria Maggiore

1. From **Termini** station, 5–7 minutes' walk along Via Cavour or Via dell'Esquilino.
2. Metro line A to **Vittorio Emanuele** or line B to **Cavour**, then 5–7 minutes on foot.
3. Buses 70, 71 and 75 stop on Piazza di Santa Maria Maggiore.
4. The [Lateran Basilica](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/lateran-basilica) is 20 minutes' walk down Via Merulana.

## 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.

## Before you go

Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser.

- [ ] Cover shoulders and knees
- [ ] Bring binoculars — the nave mosaics are high up
- [ ] Find Bernini's slab by the altar
- [ ] Go down to the Holy Crib relic
- [ ] Check loggia tour times if you want the façade mosaics

## Rome's churches: compare and choose

Churches and basilicas in Rome rated by YesGo.

- [Pantheon](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pantheon) — YesGo score 82/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · ≈ €5
- [St Peter's Basilica](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-peters-basilica) — YesGo score 71/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Free; dome ≈ €8–15
- [Sistine Chapel](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/sistine-chapel) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Vatican Museums ticket ≈ €25
- [Archbasilica of St John Lateran](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/lateran-basilica) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free; cloister ≈ €5
- [Santa Maria Maggiore](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-maggiore) — YesGo score 62/100 (Yes, go) · 40 min · Free
- [Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-paul-outside-the-walls) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free
- [Church of the Gesù](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/church-of-the-gesu) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Sant'Ignazio](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/sant-ignazio) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Santa Maria sopra Minerva](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-sopra-minerva) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Piazza del Popolo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/piazza-del-popolo) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Santa Maria in Trastevere](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-in-trastevere) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Mouth of Truth](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/bocca-della-verita) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Donation ≈ €2
- [Catacombs of Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/rome-catacombs) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €10–12 with guide
- [San Pietro in Vincoli](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-pietro-in-vincoli) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [San Luigi dei Francesi](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-luigi-dei-francesi) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Santa Maria della Vittoria](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-della-vittoria) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-carlo-alle-quattro-fontane) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Tempietto](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/tempietto) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Santa Sabina](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-sabina) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Trastevere](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/trastevere) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free
- [Baths of Diocletian](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/baths-of-diocletian) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Basilica free; museum ≈ €10–12
- [Basilica of San Clemente](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-clemente) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Upper free; excavations ≈ €10–12

## The papal basilicas in a day

Santa Maria Maggiore near Termini in the morning, then a walk to the Lateran and the Scala Santa, and St Paul Outside the Walls after lunch.

1. [Santa Maria Maggiore](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-maggiore) — YesGo score 62/100 (Yes, go) · 40 min · Free
2. [Archbasilica of St John Lateran](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/lateran-basilica) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free; cloister ≈ €5
3. [Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-paul-outside-the-walls) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free

## Don't mix it up

Rome's Santa Maria Maggiore isn't the basilica of the same name in Bergamo. Its 'Sistine Chapel' is a side chapel built by Sixtus V, not Michelangelo's in the Vatican.

## Tips

- 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.

## Questions

### Is Santa Maria Maggiore free?

Yes; only the loggia tour and museum charge.

### Is Pope Francis buried in Santa Maria Maggiore?

Yes, since 2025, near the Salus Populi Romani icon.

### Who else is buried there?

Popes Sixtus V, Pius V, Paul V and Clement VIII, and the sculptor Bernini.

### What are the opening hours?

Roughly 7:00–18:45 daily.

### What is special about the mosaics?

The nave and triumphal-arch mosaics date from the 5th century — among the oldest images of the Virgin.

### When was Santa Maria Maggiore built?

Around 432–440, under Pope Sixtus III.

### How far is it from Termini?

About 500 m, a 5–7 minute walk.

### What happens on 5 August?

White petals fall from the ceiling for Our Lady of the Snows.

## How we checked

History, mosaics, burials and the snow legend from English Wikipedia. We couldn't confirm hours and loggia tour prices on the official site at the time of checking, hence the 'checking' badge.

## Sources

- Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore, official website
- English Wikipedia, Santa Maria Maggiore

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