Viewpoint: Miracle of Summer Snow

People gather outside the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore on Rome’s Esquiline Hill to witness a soap foam re-creation of the Miracle of Summer Snow…

Photo by Getty Images

summer snow

Legend has it… that on the night of 4th August, a long, long time ago, it snowed in Rome. Not everywhere, and not a lot, but it did snow. On the Esquiline Hill to be precise. As it happened, this unusual meteorological event was witnessed by a couple who had recently prayed to the Virgin Mary to give them a sign to tell them how they should donate their earthly wealth to her. A church in her name was promptly built on the site.

The Miracle of Summer Snow is now an annual fixture in the city.

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