Salus Populi Romani: Protectress of the Roman People.

The Eternal City, the heart of Western Christianity with its great basilicas and shrines, speaks of the triumph of Christianity in its visual language in multiple ways. One of the dearest forms of devotion and personal piety is however at the heart of Saint Mary Major, the great papal basilica dedicated to the Mother of God on the occasion of the Council of Ephesus and the establishment of the doctrine of the Theotokos. Amidst the glowing marbles of antiquity, the stunning Medieval mosaics and the gilded surfaces of the Renaissance and Baroque, in perhaps its most grandiose chapel, the Borghese, is a tiny little icon. The Salus Populi Romani is one of the most revered Marian iconographies in Catholicism. This intimate connection between the divine and the Christian has inspired Romans since the times of the early Church, from popes to everyday people, as a symbol of protection over our own very city. She not only represents Mary in her centrality within Catholic doctrine and sensibility but also the very spiritual heart of the Roman people.

The title itself finds its origins in ancient Rome. In the Roman Republic, the phrase referred to the welfare and safety of the Roman people and was associated with the goddess Salus, the goddess of health and protection. After the Edict of Milan under Constantine in 313, Christian communities adopted many of the former cultural expressions and titles. Through religious syncretism, the ancient title became associated with the Virgin as protectress of the faithful.

According to tradition, she arrived to Rome in 590, during the pontificate of Gregory the Great who personally welcomed her as the icon arrived by boat on the Tiber. During a terrible plague in Rome, Gregory carried the icon in a solemn procession through the city, praying through Our Lady for relief, the procession famously ended at the Castel Sant’Angelo which took its name from the apparition of Saint Michael appearing on top of the former Mausoleum of Hadrian, marking the end of the pestilence. The icon was then seen as a miraculous one, the true protectress of the Roman people.

The icon itself depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Child Christ carrying a Gospel while raising his hand to dispense blessings on the people of Rome. The style is clearly inspired by the prevalent Byzantine influence of the time. Mary is wearing a blue mantle over a red tunic, as a symbol of her royalty and humanity. Over her head is a Greek inscription that refers to her as Mater Theou, Mother of God.

Unlike the later Byzantine Hodegetria iconography in which Mary points to Christ as the instrument of salvation, in this one, Mary is holding the child, protecting him, exposing him. Art historians believe this emphasizes the intimacy between the mother and the child while highlighting her specific role within the story of salvation as a compassionate protector and intercessor. However, the exact date of the painting is debated by scholars, the surface was heavily repainted during the 12th and 13th centuries, it is believed the original icon may date back to the 6th century however, thus validating the original story. Various iconographical elements do point towards early Christian works from Late Antiquity, such as the modeling of Christ’s hand and the formal pose the two figures take. It is quite large for a Byzantine icon, so it is believed it was probably executed in the same style but in the West.

A long tradition, shared by other icons in Rome, such as that in Santa Maria del Popolo, attributes it to Saint Luke, the patron saint of artists and evangelist in his spare time. According to legend, the apostle painted the Virgin Mary from life when she was living with John the Apostle after Jesus’ crucifixion. The icon was supposedly found by Saint Helena during her journey in the Holy Land and brought back from Jerusalem via Constantinople. Although, this is a symbolic tradition rather than a historical one it does give the icon a deep theological meaning and devotional affection.

Over the centuries, the icon was carried in procession by popes at times of celebration and distress. In 1476, Pope Sixtus IV brought it in a solemn procession through the city during another plague. In 1571, Pope Pius V prayed before it for victory in the naval conflict against Ottoman forces at the Battle of Lepanto, a victory later attributed to the intercession of the Virgin Mary. In 1838, Pope Gregory XVI, granted the image a canonical coronation recognizing its importance within Catholic devotion. Later in 1954, Pope Pius XII, crowned it again during that Marian Year, emphasizing Mary’s role as Queen of Heaven during the Ad Caeli Reginam encyclical. In 2017, she was fully restored and rededicated with a special Mass presided over by the pontiff. The late Pope Francis I was extremely devoted to her and would pray before her at the beginning and end over of every international journey. She was also carried out in Saint Peter’s Square in 2020 during the global pandemic as a symbol of hope, protection and resilience.

 

The icon of the Salus Populi Romani is not only a symbol of artistic expertise, but it is a powerful symbol of faith, both in triumph and intimacy, for the whole city of Rome. For over a millennium it has been associated with protecting this our Eternal City, through the devotion of popes and everyday people alike, she represents the Virgin within her place of honor in the Catholic tradition and in the hearts of the Romans as guardian and protectress. Salus Populi Romani ora pro nobis.