Polo Museale Liberiano

In the heart of the Rione Esquilino, in the splendid Basilica of Saint Mary Major, the Polo Museale Liberiano is an extraordinary artistic, historical and spiritual testimony of the basilica and its leading role over the centuries in the religious life of Rome. 

From the Great Staircase of the Benedict XIV Rectory, the evocative exhibition route leads to the Loggia of the Blessings on the 18th-century façade designed by Ferdinando Fuga, where two imposing angels on each side present a magnificent viewpoint over Piazza di Santa Maria Maggiore and the Colonna della Pace (Column of Peace). Beautiful mosaics by Filippo Rusuti (ca. 1300), dominating the space, depict the founding history of the basilica, linked to the dream of the wealthy Roman patrician Giovanni, his wife and Pope Liberius, and the miracle of snow of 5 August 358.

The itinerary continues in the Hall of Popes, a large and solemn room realised during the pontificate of Pope Paul V (1605-1621). Adorned by a majestic wooden ceiling and an imposing marble fireplace, the hall houses valuable wooden furnishings, liturgical vestments, ancient texts and manuscripts, and paintings of personalities associated with the history of the basilica, such as popes, cardinals, including Archpriest St. Carlo Borromeo, and the Royal Family of Spain.

Following is the spiral staircase so-called "Gian Lorenzo Bernini's" - the master of the Baroque resting in a simple tomb inside the basilica. The refined 17th-century structure, made in travertine stone and free of columns, winds harmoniously in the shape of a shell, connecting the five levels of the building and representing the ascending human spiritual journey.

Then there are the three museum rooms, the heart of the exhibition path, which, through precious relics and stunning works of art - including significant frescoes by Baldassare Croce - represent each a fundamental element of the basilica:
- The Bethlehem of the West Room narrates Saint Mary Major as the Basilica of the Holy Nativity and the building for celebrating the Holy Masses on Christmas Eve. Among the works are the Nativity by Arnolfo di Cambio from 1291, the first nativity scene in history consisting of a simple and elegant group of five marble statues, and the Chasuble of Saint Jerome, a rare and ancient fabric dating back to the 13th century;
- The Saint Mary of the Snow Room, dedicated to the founding of the basilica following the miracle of the snow on 5 August 358 A.D. - when the summit of the Esquiline Hill was tinged white - houses The Miracle of the Snow by Jacopo Zucchi, Mary and Child with Saints Anthony of Padua and Catherine of Siena by Domenico Beccafumi, and The Road to Calvary by Giovanni Antonio Bazzi (‘Il Sodoma’);
- The Treasure of the Salus Populi Romani Room houses the famous and venerated Byzantine icon of the Virgin (traditionally attributed to St. Luke), always linked to the spiritual life of Rome and its popes, and some precious donations that, over time, the popes offered as ex-votos, including the fine reliquary with a silver cover, that kept the icon for over three centuries, and the crowns and jewels given by Gregory XVI (1831-1846) and Pius XII (1939-1958).  

Beneath the basilica, a remarkable archaeological area reveals a series of underground rooms arranged around a large courtyard dating back to the imperial age, where you can admire a thermal bath with mosaics and heating cavities, ancient roof tiles, ornamental frescoes with geometric elements, and a rare frescoed agricultural calendar.

Photo Redazione Turismo Roma

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