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SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE
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The church built during the IV century underwent several interventions through the years. The building shows different architectural styles, token of many remakings and restorations carried out trough its secular history. The bell tower is the highest in Rome (about 75 m.) and in its interior you can find works by many Italian masters among which there are those by D. Fontana, formerly architect of Pope SistoV, one of the most important pontiffs as for the road network of the city. The works ordered by this Pope are known by the name of "piano sistino" (sistine plan).The plan includes a series of roads mostly straight, that plough Roman hills and mark with obelisks (that's why there are so many in Rome) the most important places. The network linked the major basilicas; Santa Maria Maggiore is just the focal center of it.
As for the history of its building, the legend tells that Pope Liberio dreamt of S. Mary and the Lady told him to build a church in the place where he was going to find the snow. Next day, 5 August 1.352, on the place where the Basilica is located now, it snowed. Every year this event is celebrated with peculiar ceremonies.
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