Rome: Basilica of St Mary Major Catholic Pilgrim Tour

Join our devout Catholic guide on a mesmerising tour of St Mary Major, taking in the symbolism of the ancient mosaics, crib of the baby Jesus and the icon Salus Populi Romani by St Luke.
All four of Rome’s Major basilicas are sites of the Holy Doors that will open in 2025. Each is an architectural masterpiece with its own fascinating history and significance and each with its own mysteries and stories that our devout Catholic guide will unravel and bring to life for you.

St Mary Major—known as Santa Maria Maggiore locally—vies with Santa Maria in Trastevere for the accolade of the oldest church in Rome dedicated to Our Lady, though being not only a Major Basilica but also a Papal one, it’s fair to say it is of greater significance.

You’ll meet your tour guide by the fountain right in front of the basilica and as you enter all together you’ll find out about the five different names of the Basilica of St Mary Major, each fruits of its eventful history. 

Also before entering, you’ll take a close look at the Holy Door, one of four that will open in the Holy Jubileum year of 2025 in order that pilgrims to Rome may gain a Partial Indulgence.

Inside the magnificent Basilica of St Mary Major you’ll be able to see wood from the crib of the baby Jesus, one of many relics from His life that were brought to Rome from the holy land for pilgrims to venerate.

Also on display for pilgrims to Rome is the miraculous icon Salus Populi Romani, which Catholic tradition holds was painted by St Luke the Evangelist, and the glass sarcophagus of Pope St Pius V.

The details of this stunning basilica are often missed by mainstream tour guides and anyone not of the Catholic faith. The extraordinary mosaics that adorn the conclave behind the altar brim with biblical symbolism and with catechesis regarding both the Old and New Testaments.

Our tour of St Mary Major lasts between 60 and 90 minutes and for those just doing the basilica, it concludes on the steps in front of the main entrance. Those continuing on for the larger Via Crucis Pilgrim Tour will depart with the guide to see the Relics of Christ’s Passion and the Major Basilica of St John Lateran among other things.

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