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Introducing The Story of the Foundation of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome
Bartolome Esteban Murillo’s painting “The Story of the Foundation of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome: The Patrician Reveals his Dream to the Pope,” created around 1665, brings a legendary miracle to life through Baroque drama and warm Sevillian light. The work recounts the moment when a Roman patrician and his wife reveal a visionary dream to the pope, a dream that would lead to the foundation of the great basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore after a miraculous snowfall in August.
Murillo transforms a complex narrative into a single, readable image. At the left, in a shaded interior, a quiet conversation unfolds between the pope, the patrician couple and a small group of clerics. At the right, through an opening in the architecture, we glimpse a bright landscape where a crowd of believers witnesses the miraculous snow that marks the site of the future church. Bridging both halves is an elegant arch enriched with golden decoration, which holds smaller medallions that recall the architecture and plan of the Roman basilica itself. The result is a painting that is at once historical, visionary and deeply devotional.
The Legend Behind the Painting
The story Murillo illustrates comes from a popular medieval legend. According to tradition, a wealthy Roman patrician, sometimes named Giovanni, and his wife were childless and prayed to the Virgin Mary for guidance about how to use their fortune. On the night of 5 August they both dreamed that Mary asked them to build a church in her honor on the spot in Rome where snow would miraculously fall. That same night the pope had the very same dream.
In the morning, despite the summer heat, snow was found on the Esquiline Hill. Taking this as a divine sign, the pope and the patrician couple marked the outline of the future church in the snow. The basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore would later rise on this spot and become one of the major Marian shrines of Rome. Murillo’s painting focuses on the crucial moment when the dream is revealed to the pope and the story begins to move from vision to reality.
For Murillo’s Sevillian audience, this legend connected Rome with the broader Catholic world and emphasized Mary’s role as a guiding mother. The story also fit perfectly with the Baroque taste for wondrous, emotionally gripping miracles that affirmed divine intervention in human history.
A Complex Composition Under a Golden Arch
One of the most striking features of the painting is its unusual format. The scene unfolds under a large arch or lunette, whose border is filled with gold and intricate ornament. At the left and right edges of this arch, Murillo includes two medallion like diagrams: on one side, a representation of the facade of Santa Maria Maggiore, and on the other, a plan view of its interior. These details frame the narrative with the finished result of the miracle. The church that will be built because of the dream already appears, almost like a seal of authenticity, around the unfolding story.
Within this arch, Murillo divides the pictorial space into two realms. On the left, an interior with heavy architectural elements encloses the group that centers on the pope and the patrician couple. On the right, the composition opens out into a luminous landscape where a procession or crowd moves toward the miraculously snow covered hill. A bright area in the sky marks the intervention of the Virgin, who appears small but radiant in the distance.
The divide between interior and exterior is emphasized by a large dark column near the center. This column functions like a hinge. It separates the quiet conversation from the public miracle, yet it also unites them. The column rises into the arch, linking the golden border with the narrative below. Through this device Murillo manages to hold together several moments in the story within one coherent scene.
The Intimate Drama of the Patrician and the Pope
The left half of the painting is devoted to an intimate human drama. Murillo concentrates here on the psychology of the figures. The pope sits on a slightly elevated seat, leaning toward the patrician and his wife who kneel or sit lower. The pope’s face is turned attentively, his posture open and inquisitive, as he listens to their account.
The patrician, dressed in rich but subdued garments, gestures with one hand as if describing the dream, while his other arm supports his wife. She sits at the center of the group, wearing a pale dress that catches the light and marks her importance. Her expression is both modest and quietly amazed, suggesting that she still feels the wonder of the vision she has experienced. Around them, a few clerics and attendants lean in, sharing the sense of astonishment and curiosity.
Murillo’s training as a portrait painter is evident in the way he individualizes the faces. Each has a distinct personality. The pope appears thoughtful and pastoral, not distant or authoritarian. The patrician looks sincere and slightly anxious, aware of the weight of what he is saying. The wife appears devout and humble. By focusing on their reactions, Murillo brings the legend down to a human level. The miracle is not only a distant spectacle. It is also a conversation between people who must decide how to act on a powerful dream.
The Miraculous Snowfall and the Crowd in the Distance
In contrast to the quiet, warm tones of the interior, the right side of the painting opens onto a landscape bathed in cool light. Here Murillo represents the fulfillment of the dream: the snowfall on the Esquiline Hill. The hill itself appears in soft, pale tones, and a small cloud of brightness in the sky marks the presence of Mary, often shown as a tiny figure surrounded by radiance.
A crowd of small figures, dressed in various colors, gathers at the base of the hill and processes toward the snowy area. Murillo suggests banners, clergy and lay people moving together in reverent wonder. Their diminutive scale enhances the sense of distance and also emphasizes how the miracle extends beyond the private experience of the patrician and the pope to involve the whole community.
This distant scene balances the left side of the composition. Where the interior group is characterized by close up faces and rich shadow, the outdoor group is defined by broad gestures and overall atmosphere. Together, they express the dual nature of the legend, as both an intimate revelation and a public, visible sign.
Light and Color as Storytelling Tools
Murillo’s mastery of light is essential to the narrative clarity of the painting. In the interior on the left, the light is warm and focused. It falls especially on the face and clothing of the patrician’s wife, making her a visual focal point. The pope and the patrician are partially in shadow, yet their faces catch enough light to register their expressions. The warm glow of this side evokes the enclosed, candlelit world of ecclesiastical chambers and emphasizes the private character of the conversation.
On the right, the light becomes cooler and more dispersed. The sky is pale and luminous. The snow on the hill reflects a delicate brightness, and the distant figures are bathed in a clear daylight. This contrast between warm interior and cool exterior not only separates the two realms but also underscores the progression from hidden dream to openly manifest miracle.
Color supports this effect. Murillo employs deep reds and browns in the interior garments, balancing them with creamy whites in the pope’s robes and the wife’s dress. In the landscape he introduces lighter greens and blues, along with the soft whites of the snow and clouds. The golden arch that frames the whole scene ties these color zones together, echoing both the earthly wealth of the church and the heavenly radiance of Marian glory.
Baroque Movement and Emotional Rhythm
Although the painting deals with a solemn religious legend, Murillo infuses it with characteristic Baroque movement. The figures within the interior group lean toward one another in a gentle spiral. The pope inclines forward, the patrician gestures, the wife turns slightly, and the surrounding clerics bend in various directions. This creates a subtle swirl that leads the viewer’s eye through the conversation.
In the landscape, the procession of figures moves diagonally from the lower right toward the snowy hill and the bright sky. This diagonal movement, combined with the upward motion of the hill itself, conveys a sense of spiritual ascent, as if the people of Rome are being drawn toward the sign granted by the Virgin.
The golden arch, with its curving line, adds an additional layer of rhythm. It almost mimics the motion of a theatrical proscenium, reinforcing the idea that we are watching a sacred drama enacted on a stage. Murillo thus coordinates multiple visual rhythms to guide the viewer from the listening pope, across the dividing column, toward the miracle in the distance.
Theological and Devotional Meaning
Beyond its narrative charm, the painting carries rich theological messages. At its heart is the idea that God, through Mary, guides the church and reveals his will in both dreams and visible signs. The shared dream of the patrician and the pope suggests that divine inspiration can come to both laity and clergy, yet the image also affirms proper ecclesiastical order, since the dream must be tested and confirmed before leading to action.
The miraculous snow symbolizes purity and the unexpected grace of God. It falls in the heat of summer, overturning natural expectations, just as divine intervention can overturn human calculations. For believers, this miracle affirms the special role of the Virgin Mary as protector of cities and patron of churches dedicated to her.
Murillo’s gentle handling of the human figures encourages an affective piety. Viewers are invited to empathize with the patrician couple, to imagine what it would be like to carry such a message to the leader of the church, and to share the awe of the crowd as it witnesses the snowy sign. The painting becomes a tool for meditation on obedience, generosity and trust.
Murillo’s Style at a Mature Moment
Painted in the 1660s, this work belongs to Murillo’s mature period. By this time he had become the leading painter in Seville, known for his warm religious scenes, tender images of the Virgin and child, and sensitive portraits. In “The Story of the Foundation of Santa Maria Maggiore,” he brings together many of his strengths.
There is the softness of his modeling, especially evident in the faces and hands. There is the delicate layering of glazes that create a luminous, almost velvety atmosphere. There is also his talent for large, multi figure compositions that remain legible and emotionally clear despite their complexity.
Compared to some of his more intimate paintings, such as small Madonnas or genre scenes of children, this work displays a broader narrative ambition. Murillo must coordinate not only a close up interaction but also a distant miracle, architectural framing and symbolic medallions. The fact that the scene reads so smoothly speaks to his skill in organizing space and meaning.
Connection Between Rome and Seville
While the legend is Roman, the painting is very much a product of Sevillian devotion. Seville, like Rome, was a city deeply dedicated to the Virgin Mary and proud of its Marian shrines. By representing a famous Roman miracle, Murillo and his patrons linked their local piety to the universal church centered in Rome.
The inclusion of the architectural medallions at the top helps viewers in Spain imagine the appearance and plan of the distant basilica. These small images function almost like devotional miniatures within the larger painting, reminding viewers that the story they contemplate has a concrete result that still stands in the heart of Christendom.
At the same time, the human figures, with their Spanish looking faces and garments, quietly localize the legend. Murillo often dressed his saints and biblical figures in clothing inspired by contemporary Seville. Here, although the subject is Roman, many viewers would have recognized the types as people from their own world. This blending of local and universal deepens the sense of connection.
Lasting Appeal for Modern Viewers
For modern audiences, “The Story of the Foundation of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome” offers several layers of interest. As a narrative painting, it is fascinating to see how Murillo condenses a complex legend into a single image that contains both intimate dialogue and public spectacle. As a Baroque work, it showcases the period’s love of theatrical framing, glowing color and emotionally charged light.
On a more personal level, the painting speaks about how people respond to powerful experiences that call them to change their lives. The patrician and his wife must decide what to do with their wealth after receiving their dream. The pope must discern whether their vision is truly from God. The crowd must recognize and respond to the miracle of snow in summer. These questions about discernment, generosity and communal faith remain relevant today.
Finally, the painting invites viewers to consider how architecture, story and spirituality intertwine. The golden arch, the medallions of the basilica, the snowy hill and the gathering crowd all point to a simple fact: every great sacred building begins with a moment of inspiration. Murillo’s canvas captures that fragile but decisive moment when a vision becomes a plan and a plan begins to shape the world.