Exploring Basilicas in Rome - Part 1

During winter break, I had a chance to visit Rome, Italy. During my week there, I visited more than five churches in Rome, including four major basilicas: St. John Lateran, St. Peter's Basilica, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and St. Mary Major. I would like to write about my visit to St. Mary Major Basilica in this post.

Credit: Aleteia

St. Mary Major Basilica is near Roma Termini Station, where most tourists start their journey. We can see the tall bell tower from the station, and it is just a little walk to get to the church. As you can see in the name, this church is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and it is the first church to be so. There is an interesting history related to Mary about the Basilica.

According to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to the aristocrat, Giovanni, and Pope Liberius, asking for the construction of a church in her honor, in a place that will snow. On August 5th, in the middle of the summer in Rome, snow fell on the Esquiline hill, and now, stands the magnificent St. Mary Major Basilica.

The Miracle of the Snows is recalled each year with a solemn celebration. During the liturgy, a shower of white petals fall from the ceiling, creating an almost perfect union between the congregation and the Mother of God. (Official Website)

I will add some photos I took from the Basilica. (There are other spots I want to show you in the Basilica, but I couldn't record it as a photo...)

The Basilica owns a precious treasure, which is the manger where Jesus lay when he was born. When I visited there, only a few people were waiting for the manger, so it was easy for me to take photos of the holy manger.

Photo by me

I also had the chance to take the Sunday mass here, at St. Mary Major Basilica. The mass was performed in Italian, so I couldn't understand it properly. However, since the cardinal of the Roman Diocese had conducted the mass, which is not usual in Korea, I was happy to be involved in the mass. Also, as a Roman Catholic liturgy is all the same in any country, I was able to know the flow of the mass and followed along with the Italian liturgy book in my hand.

After mass, I felt the holiness once more. The ceiling, the altar, the baptistery, and everything that was inside the church looked different from me. In addition to the ecstasy that I felt because it was not the style that I'd seen in Korea, I realized the reason that the church was one of the major Basilicas. It was the indescribable holiness and overwhelming feeling. (The video was taken after the mass.)

In the next post, I will be writing about another basilica that I visited during the trip.

What will it be? Look forward to it!