A brief explanation of the patronage of 'MARY OF THE SNOW', which visitors don't often encounter: This dedication takes us far back in church history to the fourth/fifth century, and geographically from Baden-Württemberg to Rome. On August 5, 363, the so-called "miracle of the snow" occurred at the site where the church of Santa Maria Maggiore now stands. This means that on that day, in the middle of summer, snow lay there in the morning because the Virgin Mary wished to have a church dedicated to her built on that spot. She conveyed this wish in a vision to a wealthy couple – who subsequently initiated and financed the construction – and to the Bishop of Rome, who at that time was Pope Liberius. The Roman church holds the rank of a patriarchal basilica (papal basilica) and is the origin of all churches and chapels with this patronage. In the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church, August 5th, the feast day of the church's consecration (in the year 432 by Pope Sixtus III), is an optional memorial. Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome was the focus of international attention a few months ago, as Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday this year, had designated this church as his final resting place.