𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟓 • 𝐃𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐭. 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐞

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𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓

St. Mary Major is one of the four Roman basilicas known as patriarchal churches in memory of the first centers of the Church. St. John Lateran represents Rome, the See of Peter; St. Paul Outside the Walls, the See of Alexandria, allegedly the see presided over by Mark; St. Peter’s, the See of Constantinople; and St. Mary’s, the See of Antioch, where Mary is supposed to have spent most of her later life.

One legend, unreported before the year 1000, gives another name to this feast: Our Lady of the Snows. According to that story, a wealthy Roman couple pledged their fortune to the Mother of God. In affirmation, she produced a miraculous summer snowfall and told them to build a church on the site. The legend was long celebrated by releasing a shower of white rose petals from the basilica’s dome every August 5.

𝐏𝐑𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑

𝘖 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘦. 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘮𝘦 𝘖 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘯.