According to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to the Patrician John and Pope Liberius, telling them to build a church on the spot where she would cause snow to fall. On the morning of Aug. 5, 358, snow was seen on the Esquiline Hill, outlining the perimeter of what was to become the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. The basilica is home to one of the most important Marian icons, the “Salus Populi Romani” (“Our Lady Savior of the Roman People”). Tradition attributes the artwork to St. Luke the Evangelist, patron of painters. Pope Francis visits the icon before and after his apostolic journeys. The relic of the holy crib – the bedding on which the baby Jesus was laid – is under the papal altar, and the mortal remains of St. Matthew and St. Jerome are in this church. The basilica offers in-depth descriptions and photos as well as a podcast discussing many of its treasures on its website.
The Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior and of Sts. John the Baptist and the Evangelist, better known as St. John Lateran, is the Catholic cathedral of the Diocese of Rome – making it the official seat of its bishop, Pope Francis. It is the oldest of the four papal basilicas and stands over the ruins of a Roman cavalry fort. From the 4th to the 14th century, St. John Lateran was the seat of the papacy, thus becoming the symbol and the heart of the Church’s life. It was also the site of the original Holy Door. Today, online visitors can take a virtual reality tour of the world’s only archbasilica on the Vatican’s website or see it in one of countless online video tours.