Located on the slopes of St. Peter’s Hill, in a strategic and scenic position overlooking the valley below, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is one of the most outstanding examples of Romanesque architecture in Lazio, along with the nearby Basilica of St. Peter. Consecrated on October 6, 1206, it has even older origins: it is first mentioned in a bull of Pope Leo IV in 852, but its foundations date back to at least the 8th century.
Exterior: a facade that enchants
The church’s facade is striking in its grandeur and decorative richness. Made of local tuff, it is scanned horizontally in three sections that mask the internal division into naves. In the center dominates a splendid marble rose window, typical of the Umbrian school, framed by reliefs with the symbols of the Evangelists. Under the rose window runs a columned loggia, embellished with sculptures of griffins, lions and mythological figures, all carved in lava stone and marble.
The central portal, in white marble, is among the most spectacular elements: deep splays punctuated by Corinthian columns, symbolic reliefs, plant motifs and biblical scenes such as the Sacrifice of Isaac, the Madonna and Child Enthroned, the Lamb of God and the Flight into Egypt. On the sides, statues of St. Peter and St. Paul watch over the entrance. The side portals, made of volcanic stone, repeat the pattern of the main one with more restrained but no less striking decorative elements.
Next to the church stands the majestic bell tower, built between the 11th and 12th centuries. Its advanced position relative to the facade is due to the later lengthening of the nave. Damaged by the 1971 earthquake, it lost its upper part, but retains intact the Lombard blind arches and decorative pilasters.
Interior: a journey through medieval art
The interior, with three naves, shows the layering of centuries of architectural history. Columns and pilasters support double-arched arches with finely carved Romanesque capitals in tuff, some decorated with plant motifs, monstrous and symbolic figures. The naves end in three apses, of which the central one is wide and scenic, concluded by a superb triumphal arch.
Numerous frescoes, dating from between the 13th and 16th centuries, are preserved on the walls and columns. Among the most significant is a large Last Judgment attributed to Gregory and Donato d’Arezzo, visible in the arch of the central apse: Christ Pantocrator, angels, saints, the blessed and the damned are depicted with narrative force, while hell is vividly and dramatically portrayed, with the figure of Lucifer locally nicknamed “caca anime” for the crude scene of damnation.
In the right aisle is one of the church’s most unique features: the octagonal, richly carved 13th-century immersion baptismal font, the only one of its kind in the area. Nearby, a medieval ambo and a Gothic ciborium testify to the liturgical importance of the place over the centuries. The high altar preserves an early medieval pluteus as antependium, while the apse is decorated with a 13th-century frieze depicting the Twelve Apostles.
A treasure to be rediscovered
The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is not only a masterpiece of Romanesque art, but a custodian of religious, artistic and civic memories. It was Tuscania’s first cathedral and, even today, retains its original baptismal font, a symbol of its primary function in local worship. Although partially damaged by the 1971 earthquake, the church is today open to visitors and continues to be the subject of restoration and enhancement work, entrusted to the Superintendence for Architectural Heritage.
Situated in a solitary and fascinating location, at the point where the ancient urban center of Tuscania once stood, Santa Maria Maggiore offers visitors an intense and authentic experience of spirituality, art and millennial history.