From All Ireland Rosary Rally page: "Today we celebrate the Dedication of the Basilica of St Mary Major. It is one of the four major basilicas in Rome. Pope Francis usually visited it to seek Our Lady's intercession before he went on an international journey. He is now buried there. It is where some of the Bethlehem crib can be found that the good Lord lay in. The Council of Ephesus in 431 formally proclaimed the mother of Jesus as the Mother of God, and the church (basilica) was built shortly afterwards to celebrate her motherhood. This is the oldest church in the West that is dedicated to Our Lady. It is located where it is because the pope prayed for a sign to know where to locate it and snow fell just on that spot in August, the hottest month of the year."
From Pope Benedict XIV - The Court of the Gentiles Fb page: On the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome, here is the opening verse of the 11th century Marian hymn (attributed to the Carmelite Order) that has been sung by penitents for centuries in front of the icon known as the 'Salus Populi Romani': Salve, Mater misericordiae, Mater Dei et Mater veniae, Mater spei et Mater gratiae, Mater plena sanctae laetitiae, O Maria! 'Salvation of the Roman People': Hail, Mother of mercy, Mother of God and Mother of pardon, Mother of hope and Mother of grace, Mother filled with holy joy, O Mary! More about the venerable icon here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salus_Populi_Romani
For any one who likes to geek out about the cosmos and architectural alignments check out this paper presenting information that Pope Sixtus V probably laid out his urban plan to line up the basilica with the lunar standstill. It's so cool! Santa Maria (del Lunistizio) Maggiore: the Roman Sistine Axis and the Major Lunar Standstill https://www.cultureandcosmos.org/pdfs/29/29-9_Masi_Sistine_Axis.pdf
