La Mostra    Santa Maria Maggiore

The apsidal area of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in 1600

This was the look of the apsidal area of Santa Maria Maggiore before seventeenth century works: you can see the late thirteenth century apse and the sistine age works (1585-1590) or the dome of the Holy Sacrament or Crib chapel and the Esquiline obelisk from the Mausoleum of Augustus. The view by Giovanni Maggi is included in a volume published on the occasion of the Holy year 1600, which describes the "deliciae divinae" (the churches) and "humanae" of Rome.

Giovanni Maggi, Ecclesia S. Mariae Maioris in Esquilino colle, tratta da: Dominicus Custos, Deliciae urbis Romae divinae et humanae anno sacro Jubilaei MDC, Augsburg 1600

Map of the ancient Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore

The map shows the look of the basilica before the great sixteenth-seventeenth century works.

Veteris liberianae Basilicae adiunctorumque aedificiorum vestigium cum antiquo pavimento, in: Paolo de Angeli, Basilicae S. Mariae Maioris de Urbe a Liberio papa I usque ad Paulum V pont. max. descriptio et delineatio..., Roma 1621

The façade of the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in 1621, with the projection of the works on the left side

The architectonic view of the façade of Santa Maria Maggiore basilica taken from De Angeli's work shows, beside the late Thirteenth century mosaics by Filippo Rusuti, the recent realization of the right side palace by Flaminio Ponzio during the pontificate of Paul V, and the palace to build, specular to the existing one, on the left side of the front façade, whose completion had to wait the Eighteenth century.

Orientalis facies Liberianae Basilicae cum orthographia tum nobilis sacelli aediumque perelegantium ad dexteram porticus canonicorum usibus a Paulo V pont. max. adiunctarum tum quae ad laevam construendae eiusdem sanctiss. domini erga deiperam eximia pietate ut spes est respondebunt, in: Paolo de Angeli, Basilicae S. Mariae Maioris de Urbe a Liberio papa I usque ad Paulum V pont. max. descriptio et delineatio..., Roma 1621

The apsidal area of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore after XVI and XVII century works wanted by Sixtus V and Paul V

This is how the apse area looked at St Mary Major after work undertaken during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. We can make out the Dome of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and the Esquiline obelisk which Sixtus V had erected, along with the Borghese Chapel which Paul V commissioned from Flaminio Ponzio as a corollary to the Sistine Chapel, completed a few years before De Angeli referenced it in his work.

Facies occidentalis liberianae Basilicae addita utrinque orthographia lateris item occidentalis sacellorum qua maximi pontifices Sixtus V ad dexteram s.mo dni nostri praesepi Paulus V ad laevam ipsi deiparae magnifico opere extruxerunt, in: Paolo de Angeli, Basilicae S. Mariae Maioris de Urbe a Liberio papa I usque ad Paulum V pont. max. descriptio et delineatio..., Roma 1621

Map of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore after the works realized under the popes Sixtus V and Paul V

The layout clearly shows the major sixteenth/seventeenth-century works, including the two lateral chapels on the right and left designed by Domenico Fontana for Pope Sixtus V and by Flaminio Ponzio for Paul V.

Vestigium totius Basilicae liberianae et appositorum aedificiorum ea forma in quam Paulus V pont. max. magnifice exculta atque aucta redegit, in: Paolo de Angeli, Basilicae S. Mariae Maioris de Urbe a Liberio papa I usque ad Paulum V pont. max. descriptio et delineatio..., Roma 1621

The rear façade of the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore

This image shows the Basilica’s final external appearance on Piazza dell’Esquilino after completion of sixteenth-century work commissioned by Clement X from Carlo Rainaldi, whose design for restoration of the rear façade and a connection between the two chapels and the apse was preferred to the more-costly design put forward by Bernini.

Roma antica e moderna o sia nuova descrizione della moderna città di Roma, e di tutti gli edifizi notabili, che sono in essa, e delle cose più celebri, che erano nella antica Roma... Abbellita con duecento e più figure in rame, con curiose notizie istoriche, e con la cronologia di tutti li sommi pontefici, re, consoli e imperadori romani. Accresciuta in questa nuova edizione di un tomo terzo..., vol. II, Roma 1745

The rear façade of the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in 1749

Piranesi’s veduta shows the final external appearance of the outside of St Mary Major on Piazza dell’Esquilino by Carlo Rainaldi, whose design for restoration of the rear façade and a connection between the two chapels and the apse was preferred to the more-costly design put forward by Bernini.

Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Veduta della facciata di dietro della basilica di S. Maria Maggiore, in: Id., Vedute di Roma disegnate ed incise da Giambattista Piranesi Architetto veneziano, vol. I, Paris 1836

The "new" façade of the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore

In his 1749 veduta, Giovanni Battista Piranesi shows the “new” façade of the Basilica, which had only recently been completed (1741-1743) by Ferdinando Fuga for Benedict XIV, featuring a portico and an upper loggia for blessings, set over the thirteenth-century mosaics in such as manner as to frame them without destroying them.

Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Veduta della basilica di S.ta Maria Maggiore con le due fabbriche laterali di detta basilica, in: Id., Vedute di Roma disegnate ed incise da Giambattista Piranesi Architetto veneziano, vol. II, Paris 1836

Inside view of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in 1768

Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Veduta interna della basilica di S. Maria Maggiore, in: Id., Vedute di Roma disegnate ed incise da Giambattista Piranesi Architetto veneziano, vol. I, Paris 1836

The "new" façade of the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore

Ferdinando Fuga built the Basilica’s “new” façade for Benedict XIV. It features a portico and an upper loggia for blessings, set over the thirteenth-century mosaics in such as manner as to frame them without destroying them.

Basilicae Sanctae Mariae Maioris prospectus, in: Calcografia degli edifizj di Roma, ovvero vedute, piante, spaccati, ed elevazioni di belli edifizj antichi e moderni di questa superba città, vol. II, Roma 1779

The "new" façade of the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore

In his 1749 veduta, Giovanni Battista Piranesi shows the “new” façade of the Basilica, which had only recently been completed (1741-1743) by Ferdinando Fuga for Benedict XIV, featuring a portico and an upper loggia for blessings, set over the thirteenth-century mosaics in such as manner as to frame them without destroying them.

Philippe Benoist (draw.), Alphonse Bayot (lith.), Basilique de Sainte-Marie-Majeure: façade principale. Basilica di S.a Maria-Maggiore: veduta della facciata principale, tratta da: Rome dans sa grandeur. Vues, monuments anciens et modernes: description, histoire, institutions, dessins d'après nature par Philippe Benoist et Felix Benoist...,Paris 1870

Rite of opening and closing of the Holy Door of Santa Maria Maggiore

Giovanni Cristoforo Battelli, Brevis enarratio sacrorum rituum servatorum in aperiendo, & claudendo portam sanctam patriarchalis basilicae liberianae S. Mariae Majoris ab eminentissimo, & reverendissimo Petro card. Otthobono s. r. E. vice-cancellario, episcopo sebinensi, ejusdemque Basilicae archipresbytero & apostolico de latere legato, Roma 1726

Façade of the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, albumen photo, about 1870

Facciata S. M. Maggiore,albumen photo, about 1870

Interior of Santa Maria Maggiore, albumen photo, about 1870

Interno S. M.a Maggiore, fotografia all'albumina, 1870 ca

The visit of pope Pius XI to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore on the occasion of the Extraordinary Holy Year of 1933

Felici (papal photog.), Le cerimonie dell'anno santo. La visita del Pontefice alla Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, in: L'illustrazione italiana, a. LX, n. 42, 15 October 1933

The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and the icon of Salus Populi Romani

The elaborate copper architectural frontispiece which opens the imposing monograph Abbot Paolo De Angeli wrote in the 1600s on St Mary Major presents key moments from the basilica’s history and the relics it houses through vignettes. Told in images, the account commences with the Salus Populi Romani icon, traditionally considered to have been painted by Saint Luke; it continues with the Madonna’s appearance to Pope Liberius in a dream, followed by the establishment of the church after Patrician John provided funding; it also illustrates a number of miracles. The story of Saint Gregory the Great holds pride of place in the centre of the frontispiece. It was he who, in 590, carried the icon in a procession to pray for the city’s liberation from the plague. On this procession, beneath Castel Sant’Angelo, the Madonna interceded to perform the miracle of Archangel Michael appearing to sheath his sword, indicating the end of the wrath of God and, in consequence, of the contagion. In the middle of the lower edge, we see the silver urn donated by Margaret of Austria in 1606 to house the wooden fragments of the manger on which Baby Jesus lay.

Paolo de Angeli, Basilicae S. Mariae Maioris de Urbe a Liberio papa I usque ad Paulum V pont. max. descriptio et delineatio..., Roma 1621

The icon of Salus Populi Romani

The image of the Madonna with child who was the protectress of the people of Rome (Salus Populi Romani) – according to tradition painted by the apostle Luke – has not yet been dated with certainty owing to significant retouching work undertaken during the Middle Ages; the most recent studies generically attribute it to the late antique period.

La basilica romana di Santa Maria Maggiore,a cura di Carlo Pietrangeli, Firenze 1987, p. 124

About the ancient image of Maria Santissima in Liberian basilica and its cult

Francesco Fabi Montani, Dell'antica immagine di Maria Santissima nella basilica liberiana e del suo culto. Memorie storiche,2 ed., Roma 1861

Map of Cappella Paolina or Borghese in which is kept the Salus Populi Romani

Long located above the door to the Basilica baptistery, the Salus Populi Romani was later moved to the nave, where it remained until Paul V Borghese commissioned Flaminio Ponzio to build an ad hoc Chapel of the Madonna (also known as the Paoline or Borghese Chapel), which was consecrated on 27 January 1613.

Sacelli Sanctae Mariae Maioris a Paulo pp. V conditi adiunctarumq. ad varios usus aedium vestigium cum sacelli eiusdem pavimento, in: Paolo de Angeli, Basilicae S. Mariae Maioris de Urbe a Liberio papa I usque ad Paulum V pont. max. descriptio et delineatio..., Roma 1621

Altar of the Cappella Paolina or Borghese in which is kept the Salus Populi Romani

Insigne altare a Paulo V pont. max. in magnificentissimo suo Basilicae liberianae Sacello ex inaurato duntaxat aere pulcherrimaq. varietate pretiosorum lapidum atque gemmarum ad ornatum augustae imaginis Sanctae Mariae a B. Luca pictae constructum, in: Paolo de Angeli, Basilicae S. Mariae Maioris de Urbe a Liberio papa I usque ad Paulum V pont. max. descriptio et delineatio..., Roma 1621

Description of the Cappella Paolina or Borghese in which is kept the Salus Populi Romani

Luigi Portelli, Descrizione storico-artistico-morale della perinsigne borghesiana cappella eretta sul monte Esquilino dal sommo ponteficie Paolo V, ad onore della b. Vergine nella patriarcale Basilica liberiana..., Roma 1849

Story of the removal of the corpse of pope Paul V to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore

Lelio Guidiccioni, Breve racconto della trasportatione del corpo di papa Paolo V dalla Basilica di S. Pietro a' quella di S. Maria Maggiore, con l'oratione recitata nelle sue esequie et alcuni versi posti nell'apparato, Roma 1623

Bull of Sixtus V for the crib chapel

Sisto V, Gloriosae et semper virginis (9 giugno 1587), in: Pietro Marcellino Di Luccia, L'Abbadia di S. Giovanni a Piro unita dalla sa. mem. di Sisto V alla sua insigne cappella del Santissimo Presepe eretta dentro la Sacro-Santa Basilica di S. Maria Maggiore..., Roma 1700

Transfer of the crib medieval chapel to the new one built for Sixtus V by Domenico Fontana

At the end of the sixteenth century, Sixtus V wanted to build a large chapel in the right nave of the Basilica of St Mary Major, to be known as the Sistine Chapel or Blessed Sacrament. This chapel was to host his tomb and that of his relations, as well as Pope Pius V. The design called for a classically-inspired work, but owing to the holiness of the place, the Pope established that the medieval nativity chapel should be moved en bloc, without demolition, from its original position to a crypt beneath the new altar of the Blessed Sacrament. Architect Domenico Fontana oversaw this complex operation, designing a wooden frame within which the chapel was enclosed before being hoisted using a complex system of winches and pulleys. The system is depicted in a book illustrated by Natale Bonifacio, in which Fontana himself describes all of the “fabbriche” he undertook for Sixtus V.

Domenico Fontana, Narratione del modo tenuto in trasportare la capella [sic] vecchia del presepio tutta intiera, in: Id., Della trasportatione dell'obelisco vaticano et delle fabriche di nostro signore papa Sisto V fatte dal cavallier Domenico Fontana architetta di sua santità..., Roma 1590 [ma 1604]

Map of Sixtin or Crib Chapel

Sacelli D. N. Iesu Christi praesepi a Sixto papa V conditi vestigium et pavimentum, in: Paolo de Angeli, Basilicae S. Mariae Maioris de Urbe a Liberio papa I usque ad Paulum V pont. max. descriptio et delineatio..., Roma 1621

Sixtin or Crib Chapel

Sacelli Christi D. Salvatoris n. Praesepi in Liberiana Basilica a Sixto papa V opere magnifico extructi quatuor interiores partes..., in: Paolo de Angeli, Basilicae S. Mariae Maioris de Urbe a Liberio papa I usque ad Paulum V pont. max. descriptio et delineatio..., Roma 1621

Altar in the Sixtin or Crib Chapel

The engraving shows the new place of the crib under the altar of Sixtin chapel.

Sacratissimi Christi corporis ara in medio Sixti V sacello posita... sub eadem sacrum Christi domini Praesepe, in: Paolo de Angeli, Basilicae S. Mariae Maioris de Urbe a Liberio papa I usque ad Paulum V pont. max. descriptio et delineatio..., Roma 1621

History of the relics kept in the Crib Chapel and functions which take place there

Presently the cradle is treasured in a silver and gold shrine by Giuseppe Valadier realized on the occasion of the of 1825.

Porzione del Presepio, trasferita in Roma nel VII secolo alla Bas. Liberiana, che d'allora in poi incominciò a chiamarsi S. M. ad Praesepe, e funzioni, che ivi si fanno la notte di Natale per onorarla, in: Francesco Cancellieri, Notizie intorno alla novena vigilia notte e festa di Natale con una biblioteca d’autori che trattano delle questioni spettanti alla nascita del Redentore, Roma 1788

Description of chapels and relics in Santa Maria Maggiore

Le cose meravigliose dell'alma città di Roma, dove si veggono il movimento delle guglie & gli acquedutti per condurre l'acqua felice; le ample & commode strade fatte a beneficio publico dal santissimo Sisto V... et si tratta delle Chiese, rappresentate in disegno da Gieronimo Francino, con le stationi & reliquie de' corpi santi che vi sono; et un trattato del modo d'acquistare l'indulgenze; la Guida romana cge insegna facilmente à i forestieri à ritrovare le più notabili cose di Roma..., Venezia 1588

The Column of the peace

The Column of the peace

Paulus V pont. max. columnam veteris magnificentiae monumentum informi situ obductam, neglectamque ex immanibus templi ruinis quod Vespesianus Augustus... paci dicaverat..., in: Paolo de Angeli, Basilicae S. Mariae Maioris de Urbe a Liberio papa I usque ad Paulum V pont. max. descriptio et delineatio..., Roma 1621

The column in its original position in the Basilica of Massenzio, before called temple of the peace

The column got placed by Paul V in front of Santa Maria Maggiore is the only left of the eight ones which held up the middle vault of the Basilica of Massenzio.

Étienne Dupérac, Vestigij del tempio della pace edificato da Vespasiano imperatore... in questo tempio si vede... una colonna di marmoro in opera d'ordine corintio... Oggi questa colonna fu fatta trasportare da Paolo V avanti la Chiesa di S. M.a Maggiore dedicata alla Ss.ma Concetione..., in: Id., I vestigi dell’antichità di Roma raccolti et ritratti in prospettiva con ogni diligentia..., Roma 1773

The lost bell

Every evening, the people of Rome can hear the sound of the sperduta, the “lost woman”, as the bell at St Mary Major became known in the sixteenth century, according to a legend recounted in verse by Roman dialect poet Giggi Zanazzo. A female pilgrim heading to Rome was overtaken by darkness in the middle of the countryside, and consequently lost her way. In desperation, she prayed to the Virgin Mary and all of a sudden the bell at St Mary Major rang out to guide her to safety. To thank the Madonna for delivering her safely, the woman left a legacy to the church so that every evening the church bell would be rung, “and now, on winter’s nights when people who live nearby hear the bell at Santa Maria Maggiore ring out, they all say: that’ll be the Lost Woman!”

Giggi Zanazzo, La sperduta, in: Id., Tradizioni popolari romane, vol. II (Usi, costumi e pregiudizi del popolo di Roma), Torino 1908

The consecration of the altar of the confession of Santa Maria Maggiore realized for the Jubilee of 1750

Benedetto XIV, Sanctissimi domini nostri Benedicti papae XIV, allocutio habita pridie kalendas octobris anno jubilaei MDCCL in festo S. Hieronymi confessoris & Ecclesiae doctoris ante consacrationem altaris pontificii Sanctae Mariae Majoris, Roma 1750

The façade of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore at the beginning of XVII century

In this Giacomo Lauro veduta dated 1618, the mosaics by Filippo Rusuti (1290) from the old façade live on alongside work undertaken during the papacy of Paul V: the lateral right-hand palazzo by Flaminio Ponzio, and the Corinthian column from the Basilica di Maxentius, erected in the piazza outside the Basilica in 1614.

Giacomo Lauro, Ecclesia S. Mariae Maioris, in: Id., Antiquae Urbis splendor,Roma 1641

Notice of the ceremonies of reading of the Bull of indiction of the Jubilee of 1825 (Leo XII, Quod hoc ineunte saeculo, 24 May 1824), in the four patriarchal basilicas among which the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, substituted for St. Paul's

Even before this turns of events, the Basilica in Trastevere had served as a back-up to St Paul’s which, more distant from Rome’s built-up area given its location outside the walls and right by the Tiber, had been taken off the roster of compulsory pilgrim visits during the Jubilee of 1625 owing to an outbreak of plague in southern Italy; the Basilica in Trastevere also filled this function for eight days in 1700 after the Tiber burst its banks.

Diario di Roma, n. 102, 22 December 1824

Vicar cardinal Marcantonio Colonnna notifies to the faithful the plenary indulgence granted by pope Pius VI to who will attend to the opening of the Holy doors of four patriarchal basilicas on 26 February 1775

Vicariato di Roma, Apertura delle porte sante: indulgenza plenaria a chi v'assiste,(23 February 1775), Roma 1775

The Seven churches of Rome with their relics, stations and indulgences

Reprinted in 1660 ca. by Giovanni Giacomo de’ Rossi from plates by Giacomo Lauro and Antonio Tempesta, this publication first came out for the Jubilee of 1600. It was republished as a pilgrims’ guide in 1609, 1621, 1630 and 1636. De Rossi’s reprint was the first to feature the Basilica of St Peter’s with Bernini’s colonnade. The lower right-hand corner of the reproduced map shows the “nine churches circuit”, an extended version of the seven churches traditionally included on the tour: the Church of San Paolo alle tre fontane and the Church of the Annunziatella, both of which Filippo Neri sometimes included owing to their proximity to Saint Paul Outside the Walls.

Le sette chiese di Roma con le loro principali reliquie stationi et indul.tie, Roma 1660

The nine churches to visit to get indulgences

The seven churches circuit was on occasion extended to nine by adding the Church of San Paolo alle tre fontane and the Church of the Annunziatella, both of which were close to Saint Paul Outside the Walls. San Paolo alle tre fontane was traditionally thought to be located on the spot where the apostle Paul was decapitated. That church was later incorporated into the abbey complex. Consecrated in 1220 by Pope Honorius III and dedicated to Maria Annunziata, hence its popular name “Annunziatella”, the church was attached to a hospital that cared for pilgrims.

Les neuf eglises qu'on visite pour avoir les indulgences, in: François Jacques Deseine, Rome moderne, première ville de l'Europe, avec toutes ses magnificences et ses délices..., vol. VI, Leiden 1713

Santa Maria Maggiore, the hub of Sixtus V's road redevelopment plan

Gregorio Leti, Vita di Sisto V pontefice romano..., vol. III, Amsterdam 1698

Santa Maria Maggiore, the hub of Sixtus V's road redevelopment plan

Gregorio Leti, Vita di Sisto V pontefice romano..., vol. III, Amsterdam 1698

Santa Maria Maggiore, the hub of Sixtus V's road redevelopment plan

A map of the Monti district clearly shows the road network constructed during the last twenty-five years of the sixteenth century around St Mary Major by Gregory XIII (the Via Merulana), and above all by Sixtus V (the long, straight Via Felice and Via Panisperna).

Rione I de' Monti, in: Dominique Magnan, La città di Roma ovvero succinta descrizione di questa superba città con due piante generali di essa e de' XIV rioni... riveduta ed aumentata da Stefano Piale, vol. I, Roma 1826

Santa Maria Maggiore, the hub of Sixtus V's road redevelopment plan

The first haul of strada Felice from Trinità dei Monti toward Piazza Barberini, nowadays via Sistina.

Angelo Uggeri, Voie Sixtine,in: Id., Journées pittoresques des édifices de Rome ancienne,vol XXIX (Vues du tours des murs de Rome),Roma 1800

The "Notizie istoriche delle quattro basiliche di Roma" by Giovanni Battista Vaccondio

To mark the 1700 Jubilee, Roman legal expert Father Giovanni Battista Vaccondio wrote what he defined “a learned curiosity of ecclesiastic erudition” that “may be well received... by those who hie to Rome to earn the treasure of a holy indulgence”. The slim volume opens with a brief excurses on the Holy Year (its origin, history and ceremonies), followed by a description of the four patriarchal basilicas.

Giovanni Battista Vaccondio, Notizie istoriche delle quattro basiliche di Roma... con un breve trattato dell'anno di remissione e sua origine..., Roma 1700

The "Descriptio urbis Romae novissima" by Giovanni Maggi

In 1600, a map of the city was produced for Jubilee pilgrims, framed as a polyptych in eight vignettes depicting the Holy Door opening ceremony at St Peter’s and the city’s seven most important churches. This map, made by Roman engraver Giovanni Maggi, was a great commercial success. It was reprinted a number of times; this version is from 1672. Its small format and the inclusion of brief historical and descriptive notes made it useful to pilgrims as a guide.

Giovanni Maggi, Descriptio urbis Romae novissima a. D. MDCLXXII, Roma 1672

Benedict XIV (1740-1758) bronze medal issued in 1741 (reverse)

Mazio 454 (fig. Medaglie Mazio 23-454 A)

Benedict XIV (1740-1758) bronze medal issued in 1741 (stamp)

Mazio 454 (fig. Medaglie Mazio 23-454 A)

Extraordinary Jubilee of 1933 ends; closing of the Holy doors

Il Santo Padre chiude la porta santa della Basilica vaticana. Il sacro rito nelle altre Basiliche. Il riconoscente omaggio del mondo cattolico, in: L'osservatore romano, a. LXXIV, n. 79, 6 April 1934

Opening of the Holy Door (24 December 1924)

Felici (papal photogr.), L'apertura della porta santa 24 dicembre, in: L'illustrazione italiana,a. LII, n. 1, 4 January 1925 (L'anno Santo)

The Holy Doors at the four patriarchal basilicas (Jubilee of 1900)

Saint Peter's and Saint Mary Major

Dante Paolocci (draw.), Le quattro porte sante a Roma, in: L'illustrazione italiana, a. XXVII, n. 8, 25 February 1900

Holy Year ceremonies in treatises from the late 1700s

Stanislao Poeti, Lettera al chiarissimo autore del trattato dell'anno santo sopra il famoso dubbio se la visita delle quattro basiliche fatta in giorni ecclesiastici continui e incominciata a' primi vespri d'ogni giorno, possa servire all'acquisto del giubileo, Roma 1775

Opening of the Holy Doors at the four basilicas in 1750

This detailed Relazione tells us about the ceremonies led by Benedict XIV and the three Legates for opening the Holy Doors at the patriarchal basilicas, featuring details about the processions, precedence, timing, gestures, roles and functions of participants and observers. The Report was published by the Roman Chracas publishers (later Cracas) famous for publishing the Diario di Roma and disseminating news about the papal court and its ceremonies

Distinta relazione delle sagre funzioni fatte dalla santità di nostro signore papa Benedetto decimoquarto nell'aprire la porta santa della basilica di S. Pietro in Vaticano, e dalli tre eminentissimi legati a latere nell'aprire le porte sante delle altre tre patriarcali basiliche di S. Paolo, di S. Giovanni in Laterano e di S. Maria Maggiore, nel corrente anno santo 1750, Roma 1750

The Jubilee of 1500 as chronicled by Sigismondo dei Conti di Segni

Sigismondo dei Conti di Segni, born in Foligno (1432), lived in Rome from 1460 in the service of a number of pontiffs. He was highly familiar with the city and the Curia, where he essentially based his “Storie”. In his description of Alexander VI’s Jubilee, (not without polemic) he recounts the opening of the doors in the four basilicas and the solemn rite for opening the door at Saint Peter’s, celebrated personally by the Pope

Sigismondo dei Conti, Le storie de' suoi tempi dal 1475 al 1510..., vol. II, Roma 1883

The third Holy Year celebrated by Boniface IX in the year 1390

In 1389, in his bull Salvator noster Unigenitus, Pope Urban VI reduced the interval between jubilees to 33 years, in reference to the number of years Christ lived on earth. He also confirmed the decision taken by Gregory XI (1373) to include Saint Mary Major among the basilicas to visit in jubilee years. Urban VI died a few months before the start of ceremonies for the 1390 jubilee, which was celebrated by his successor Boniface IX.

Domenico Maria Manni, Istoria degli anni santi dal loro principio sino al presente del MDCCL, tratta in gran parte da quella del p.l.f. Tommaso Maria Alfani..., Firenze 1750

The Jubilee Basilicas: Saint Mary Major, St Peter's in the Vatican

Saint Peter's has been a Jubilee Basilica since 1300, Saint Mary Major became one in 1373, for the Jubilee of 1390

Giacomo Brogi (phot.), Le basiliche del giubileo, in: L'illustrazione italiana, a. XXVI, n. 52, 24 December 1899

Gregory XI's Bull, Salvator Noster Dominus

In1373, a Bull by Pope Gregory XI Bull included St Mary Major among the Basilicas pilgrims were required to visit to obtain the indulgence

Gregory XI, Salvator noster Dominus (29 aprile 1373), in: Collectionis bullarum sacrosanctae Basilicae vaticanae..., vol. II, Roma 1750

Saint Mary Major is one of the four Basilicas pilgrims were required to visit in the Jubilee of 1390

In 1373 Pope Gregory XI issued a bull establishing that, in order to obtain the indulgence, pilgrims were also required to visit the ancient Basilica of St Mary Major: this decision was upheld by his successor Urban VI in the indiction of the 1390 Jubillee and was never changed again

Girolamo Franzini, Templ. divae Mariae maioris, in: Le cose maravigliose dell’alma città di Roma..., Roma 1595