Madonna of the snow of La Pila



The building is present on the land registry map of the 1840. This little church is consecrated to the Madonna of the snow. Probably the Magi family decided to consecrate it to the Madonna of the snow because of the ancient Romanesque church in the town of Lacona. The Madonna of the snow is one of the many appellations of the Virgin Mary in the Catholic Church. The little church is in the small city centre of La Pila (suburb of Campo dell’Elba), protected by the houses.
The church is a chapel with one nave. On the façade there is a wonderful wooden gate with a little circular opening on the top. As you enter, on the right, there is a little window protected by a little net. The façade ends in a bell gable. Inside there is a wonderful painting of Saints.

Information about the Saint

During the IV century John, a rich patrician living in Rome with his wife and with no children, decided to build a church to worship the Virgin Mary. A legend tells that the Virgin appeared to them in a dream, in the night between the 4th and the 5th of August, telling them that a miracle would have shown them were to build the church. Liberio, the pope at that time, had the same dream, and the next day went on the Esquilino (one of the seven hills of Rome) and it was covered by snow. The Pope, so, marked the perimeter where the church will have been built. This church was named “Saint Mary Liberian” because of the name of the Pope. People, though, called it Saint Mary “ad Nives” (of the snow) because of the snow miracle. The first church was demolished in the V century and rebuilt with the name of “Santa Maria Maggiore” (Saint Mary Major) (one of the most important cathedral of Rome). The Mary of snow’s day is the 5th of August.

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