Santa Maria Maggiore

I have finally made it to Rome. Planned activities begin tomorrow. So I went out for a walk for a 1st look around. I can say without a doubt that the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is a really good 1st place to come across.
Santa Maria Maggiore dates to the 5th century and is 1 of the 7 pilgrim churches in Rome.
The 1st picture is the ornate facade. The column in front of the church carries a statue of Mary and the child, Jesus.
The 2nd picture is in the very large nave with it's gilded ceiling. There are 2 aisles, one to either side marked by the columns.
As this basilica was built shortly after the Council of Ephesus declared Mary to be Theotokos, many of the mosaics here are among the earliest of Mary and set the style for centuries to come. The rest of the pictures look at just a few of the famous works of art here.
The 3rd picture looks up to some of the art around the clerestory windows. The 4th picture is one of the side aisles. The 5th picture is the dome over the main altar. The 6th picture is one of the side chapels, and the last is the baptistry. So much spectacular art. I suspect there will be lots more to come.Les mer