Imperial Gold and Marian Devotion: The Historical Relationship Between the Spanish Crown and Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

The four papal basilicas of Rome have always traditionally been associated with the most powerful crowns of Europe under the blessing of the Supreme Pontiff. Next week, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain are going to be in Rome for a unique event. Traditionally, since the 15th century, Spanish monarchs, bore the title of “Catholic monarchs” – they are now the only Catholic monarchs (that means Spanish queens get to wear white when meeting the pope) and thus they are the only Catholic kings to be granted the special privilege of being associated with a papal basilica in Rome. The Spanish Crown has for centuries been associated with the basilica of Saint Mary Major, Rome’s foremost Marian shrine. Here, Spanish monarchs have long held the title of proto-canons of the basilica since Medieval times, a ceremonial role within the chapter, symbolizing an ancient connection with See of Peter as the leading Catholic power in Europe, certainly a slightly more faithful one when compared to the sometimes-unruly French monarchy!

The basilica itself dates back to the 5th century and was built following the doctrinal affirmation of the Theotokos with the Council of Ephesus in 451. According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to Pope Liberius telling him where the church should be built and what would it look like by marking the spot with a miraculous snowfall in the middle of August. The basilica to this day bears the titles of Liberian Basilica or Our Lady of Snows, the patronal festival still takes place in the heat of the Roman august as white petals representing that snow descend from the ceiling during the Magnificat. From the very beginning, the church was associated with many royal and aristocratic families that wanted to associate themselves with the most important Marian shrine in the Latin West, under Europe’s most supreme monarchy, the papacy. When the crowns of Castile and Aragon were united under Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castille, Spain began to develop strong diplomatic and religious relations with the papacy, more so than any other crown, Roman churches increasingly reflected the patronage of the Spanish monarchy, including the foundation of the world’s first (and still ongoing) diplomatic mission in 1480 which gave its name to the Piazza di Spagna.

Perhaps, the most visible sign of the Spanish link in the basilica is its famous gilded coffered ceiling. The vast ceiling was decorated with the first shipments of gold arriving in Europe after the voyages of Christopher Columbus, with the Spanish Crown offering the gold during the pontificate of Spaniard Alexander VI Borgia as a sign of devotion. The presence of Spain within the church is also visible in its architectural space, in the narthex is a statue of King Philip IV of Spain by the great Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, dressed as a Roman emperor, the king welcomes the faithful as a patron, into the holy space. Besides the papacy itself, Spain is the only legitimate heir to the Roman Empire, not just because of its romance language, but because the last Byzantine claimant, Andreas Paleologos transferred his claim to the Spanish Crown in 1502, thus making them Roman Emperors and thus giving the Catholic Church its original protection as devised under Constantine in its formation, the imperial garments are completely appropriate in this case. Further on, during the Counter-Reformation, the Spanish monarchy became the papacy’s strongest ally, not just by controlling a vast empire and simply its soft power as the largest military power of the time, but also because of their extensive work as benefactors of Holy Mother Church.

It is during this period that the bond between the Spanish Crown and Saint Mary Major strengthens as the title of proto-canonico is given by Pope Innocent X Pamphilj (beautifully portrayed by a Spanish, Diego Velazquez, in a world renowned masterpiece in the Doria-Pamphilj gallery in Rome), when the pope established the Opera Pia on the 7th October 1647 at the request of King Philip IV of Spain, during which time the Bernini statue was commissioned. The longstanding privilege was reaffirmed with the 1953 concordat between the Holy See and Spain with the bull Hispaniarum Fidelitas which confirmed these honorary privileges and rights.

The involvement of powerful monarchies with the papal see was a way of fostering good relations with the Supreme Pontiff, who was in a way, a ruler of kings, equally, the Holy See, would navigate the diplomatic relations between these powerful and often rival monarchies by granting them equal privileges, and so Spain would be associated with Saint Mary Major, a fitting tribute given Spain's devotion to Our Lady, the French, the “eldest sons of the Church” or “most Catholic monarchs” would be associated with the Roman cathedral, Saint John Lateran, while the Holy Roman Emperor would be associated with Saint Peter’s, indeed Charlemagne was crowned there in 800. (Personally, if I may, the Holy Roman Empire was certainly not Roman. The Spanish claim would wash away some of its barbarian heritage eventually). Naturally, the role of the papacy was to navigate these tensions. Recently, King Charles III was made a proto-canonico of Saint Paul’s outside the Walls, reestablishing that long connection of the English crown with the Pauline shrine. The relationship between the crown and Church is one that goes back to the very foundations of Christianity as we know it, in Rome and under Constantine the Great. Within this context, Saint Mary Major stands as one of the most enduring examples of royal patronage in a Roman basilica, when el rey y la reina are going to be enthroned in quire next week, we will once again see a tradition going back to the Roman Empire.