Under the snow of white petals: Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Trekking routes on Santa Maria

O. Santa Maria is one of the smallest islands in the Azores, but it has an airport that can handle medium-haul Boeings and Airbuses. From mainland Portugal there are direct flights from Lisbon. Flights are operated by Azores Airlines on Sundays and Thursdays, round trip. The journey takes about 2.5 hours.

The second and last direction on this island is the flight Ponta Delgada (San Miguel Island) - Fr. Santa Maria. During the season (summer), the number of flights per day ranges from one to three. Travel time - 30 minutes. on a propeller plane. During the rest of the year there is only one round trip flight per day.

How we flew: tickets were selected and purchased from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada (San Miguel Island) with a transfer in Santa Maria, which took 22 hours. In other words, we took a direct flight to Santa Maria, then had a day on the island to explore it, and then a 30-minute flight to Ponta Delgada. The question arises, why is it so difficult? And then that such a flight with a connection cost 80 euros per person. If you buy Lisbon - Santa Maria and Santa Maria - Ponta Delgada separately, it costs 200 - 300 euros.

In fact, our transfer took about 36 hours or 1.5 days. The flight to Ponta Delgada was scheduled for the morning, but due to heavy fog the flight was canceled and rescheduled for the evening.

For the islands, flight cancellations and delays are a very common occurrence and this fact must be taken into account.

Thanks to the cancellation of the flight to Santa Maria, we had more time, and accordingly, we have something to talk about further.

Road to/from the airport

First of all, a person who has flown to a new place is concerned with the question: how to get from the airport to the hotel. There are only two options on Santa Maria: leave by rented car or taxi. There is no public transport to the airport.

The cost of a taxi on the island is relatively low. To Vila do Porto the price is fixed - 5 euros. Although, it is worth noting that the drive is only a couple of kilometers. If you wish, you can reach it on foot.

Search for tickets to Santa Maria

How to get around the island

Most convenient option- car rental. There are rental offices at the airport and in the municipality of the island - Vila do Porto. These locations with site addresses are marked on the map below.

Since we didn’t plan to rent a car on the island, before the trip I tried to study the driving routes public transport. Later I gave up this activity and decided to travel by taxi. Buses run here extremely rarely, and in the summer their number is almost halved, since the main passengers on the island are schoolchildren who travel from remote areas to Vila do Porto.

The island is small, you can get to any point in 20 minutes by taxi. The cost will be no more than 10 euros. You can order a car at the hotel reception or simply go to any establishment where there is a telephone and ask for help with the call. The people on the island are very friendly and will not refuse you.

I marked the taxi stand in Vila do Porto on the map; you can also go there and get into the car.

When traveling by taxi to different parts of the island, it is advisable to negotiate with the driver so that he returns at a certain time and picks you up. It is very comfortable. There is simply no other option to go back, for example, from Sao Lorenco Bay.

What to choose: renting a car or taking a taxi?

If you go to the island for a couple of days, as in our case, then in principle you can do without a car. For more long term I recommend renting personal transport, a scooter will do.

Where to Stay on Santa Maria (Azores)

Santa Maria is a tiny island. If you measure it according to the most extreme points, the distance will be 15 km. The choice of housing here is not great. There will be about 10 options at most. The only settlement on the island is the municipality of Vila do Porto, located 3 kilometers from the airport. There are a couple of accommodation options here, I marked them on the general map.

The rest of the island is sparse villages with a few farm houses. In the most picturesque places You can rent a guest house in Santa Maria, they are also on the map.

Making a choice between Vila do Porto or a house in one of the Santa Maria bays overlooking the ocean is easy:

If you plan to move around the island without a car, by taxi/on foot, then only Vila do Porto
If you are planning to rent a car, then in this case it is worth staying in a house with beautiful view from the window.

We spent only one night on Santa Maria, we didn’t rent a car, we moved around the island by taxi. Booked a hostel - PJA – Santa Maria Youth Hostel. They have a couple of rooms with their own bathroom. Cost 35 euros per day. Can be considered as an option for spending the night. In addition to this hostel, there is also a hotel in Vila do Porto Charming Blue. The price tag is around 120 euros per night.

If you go to the island for a couple of days, I don’t see any point in overpaying. For a longer trip, I advise you to rent a car and live in guest house. In Baia de São Lourenço there is a simply luxurious option: Vigia da Areia

Map of Santa Maria: Beaches, hiking trails, hotels, restaurants

Things to do in Santa Maria

The Azores are primarily eco-tourism, acquaintance with untouched nature. Even though Santa Maria Island is small, there is a lot to see here. The western, central and eastern parts of the island are different from each other and have a number of features.

For tourists there are the following activities and entertainments: trekking routes, beach holidays in one of the bays, diving.

Beaches and bays of the island

Santa Maria is considered the most attractive island in terms of beach holiday from the entire Azores archipelago for several reasons:

Dry climate. Rain is not as common here as on San Miguel or other islands. The number of sunny and cloudless days is also an order of magnitude greater.
Yellow sandy beaches. On other islands the sand is mainly of volcanic origin, with a corresponding dark tint.

Sao Lorenco beach is the best on the island. He is on east coast Santa Maria. The cost of a taxi from Vila do Porto will be 10 euros, the ride will take about 20 minutes.

The beach is sandy, with a smooth sunset. It was located in a bay, on the slopes of which local residents cultivate vineyards.

The vacationers here are children who live in a coastal village. No hotels, no tourists. A sense of privacy, comfort and a delightful panorama of the endless ocean. Before my trip to the Azores, I thought that there were no more places like this in Europe.

There are more people here, although if you compare Praia Formosa with the beaches of Italy or Spain in the summer months, you can say that the beach is deserted. Throughout coastline At most there will be 20-30 people in July.

You can get to Praia Formosa from Vila do Porto along a trekking route, I recommend doing just that, and returning back to the city by taxi or bus.

Other beaches of Santa Maria

The bays listed above are the most famous on the island. They are equipped for swimming. We visited these beaches personally, I definitely recommend visiting them. There are no more sandy beaches on the island.

In the north of Santa Maria is the bay of Baia Dos Anjos. This is a stone shore made of volcanic rocks with an equipped entry into the water and concrete slabs instead of a beach. We haven't been there, so I can't recommend anything. Photos of the place are on the general map.

Trekking routes on Santa Maria

Hiking is what people come to the Azores for. Santa Maria is no exception in this regard. The entire island is crisscrossed with trails, marked routes that run along the ocean coast, in forests and other places with fantastic views and observation platforms.

All hiking options available on the island are marked on the map.

Route Entre a Serra e o Mar

Marked in blue on the map. Takes place in the vicinity of Sao Lorenco Bay.

Length: 9 km
Duration: 2.5 hours
Difficulty: easy

We did the opposite, spent half a day on the ocean, and then climbed up from the bay to complete the route. In the photo you can estimate what kind of ascent lies ahead in this case.

On Santa Maria you can count on one hand the places where you can eat something. Frankly, there are big problems with food. After several hours of trekking in the forest, we reached the E2-2 road and came across a bar called Cafe Caravela(marked on the map). For 1.5 euros we got an excellent cheeseburger here. Everything is made from local products of the highest quality, I recommend it.

Photos cannot even convey 10% of the atmosphere of this place. It is advisable to come here a couple of times: to explore Pico Alto in sunny, clear weather, and on a cloudy day to take a walk through the foggy forest.

Route Santo Espirito - Maia

Unfortunately, we didn’t have any more time on the island; we didn’t go on the remaining hikes. Therefore, below I give only the information that I found during planning.

Length: 4 km
Duration: 2 hours
Difficulty: easy

Marked in dark blue on the map in the southeast of the island. Main attractions: eighty-meter Aveiro waterfall, ocean panoramas. There is a swimming area on the shore.

Great Route of Santa Maria

Length: 78 km
Duration: 28 hours
Difficulty: medium

Marked on the map in yellow. Passes across the entire island. This route includes all the trails described above, as well as several tens of kilometers of trekking, mainly along the coast.

The Azores Islands are unique in their own way. Untouched and pristine nature will surprise the most experienced tourist. Santa Maria, like every other island of the archipelago, has its own characteristics and attractions.

I recommend staying on the island for 3-4 days. Better to consider as housing guest houses in bays, overlooking the ocean. The most convenient way to move around the island is by rented transport (car, scooter).

You should definitely visit the following places:

Beaches: Baia Sao Lorenco, Praia Formosa

Routes: Entre a Serra e o Mar, Santo Espirito-Maia, Pico Alto

The island of Santa Maria is part of the eastern group of the Azores and is located 55 km from Sao Miguel. This is the most ancient island archipelago: according to geological data, its age is 4.8 million years. It was the very first to be discovered of all the Azores islands. It is believed that this happened in 1427 on the day of the Virgin Mary, and therefore the island received its current name - in honor of St. Mary. If Graciosa, located nearby, is called the White Island, then the second name of Santa Maria is the Yellow Island. This is due to the fact that most of the territory is covered with fields and plantations of yellow agricultural crops (primarily wheat), and the beaches have golden sand.

The capital of the island is the city of Vila de Porto.

How to get to Santa Maria

by plane: domestic flight Sata airlines can fly to international airport Santa Maria from Lisbon. Sata also organizes daily flights from the island of Sao Miguel (the flight lasts 30 minutes).
by ferry: ferries run between the islands of Santa Maria and San Miguel twice a week (the journey takes 4 hours, the cost of 1 ticket is about 50 EUR). Prices on the page are for April 2019.
by boat: twice a week you can cross to Santa Maria by boat to transport goods (1 ticket costs about 35 EUR + 6 EUR for insurance).

Search for flights to Lisbon (closest airport to Santa Maria)

Weather and climate on Santa Maria Island

The average air temperature in January is +15 °C, in July +22 °C. In summer it is hot, but not stuffy. From September to April it often rains and there may be fogs. In summer the water warms up to +21...+23°C, in winter to +17...+20°C.

Santa Maria Island Transportation

The main type of urban transport is the bus. To get to know the island, you can rent a car, but it is quite expensive. You can rent a car at Lugar Cruz Teixeira (address: Vila do Porto, 96).

Cuisine and restaurants

Santa Maria has a rich gastronomic history that includes sopa de nabus (turnip soup), bolo de panela cake, cazoila (stew in traditional ceramic pots), mollo de figado (liver stew with sauce), sopa de peixe (fish soup) and caldeirada de peixe (a mixture of fish or seafood in broth with bread). Sweet desserts such as meringues, gingerbread, pudding, sugar cookies “ears” are traditional baked goods of Santa Maria Island.

The wines of Sao Lourenço, as well as other wines and sweet liqueurs, are very popular. These include Abafadinho and Abafado (fortified), Licor de Amore (liqueur), Licor de Leito (milk liqueur) and Aguardente wines, which are made using traditional methods and recipes.

Popular hotels in Santa Maria

Entertainment and attractions in Santa Maria

Because of geographical location Santa Maria was often visited by pirates on its shores. To protect against them, numerous forts were built, which still exist in Vila do Porto and Praia Formosa. In 1493, after his first voyage to America, Columbus arrived on the island to replenish food supplies, but local residents, taught by bitter experience, mistook his crew for pirates, and it was not easy to convince them otherwise. In the village of Anjos there are remains of the chapel of Nossa Senhora dos Anjos, in which Columbus and his sailors prayed. Near this place in 1993, the islanders erected a bronze statue of the famous navigator.

Other attractions: the Church of the Holy Spirit, ancient wind and water mills, houses of the first settlers of the 15th century.

Santa Maria Island

A series of resort towns stretches along the entire coast of the island: Praia Espiritu, where there is a beautiful church and many green pastures, São Lourenço, São Pedro and others. Here you can relax by the sea on golden beaches, go hiking or go on a horseback riding excursion.

Praia Formosa - yellow sand beach, one of the best in the Azores.

Every year in August, rallies take place on the island of Santa Maria, due to which roads are blocked. The entire island participates in the rally, so those who are not ardent fans of such entertainment are better off avoiding the days of the rally and choosing a different time to visit the island.

Where to stay: Actually big island The Azores archipelago, not unreasonably nicknamed green, is San Miguel. It’s just very beautiful here: the forests are rustling, the volcanoes are smoking, ocean waves crash on the rocks... Recreation infrastructure is worth looking for in

The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is not just another church in Rome, it is one of four papal basilicas. main feature These churches have a “Holy Door,” which opens only once every 25 years, and a papal altar, where a special solemn service is held in the anniversary year.

History of the construction of the church

The very history of the construction of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is surrounded by a flair of legends. When choosing a site to build a church, Liberius (one of the Roman bishops) had a dream: The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him in a dream, led him by the hand to a place on a hill and told him to build a temple in the place where the snow would fall in the morning.

The mysticism was that exactly the same dream, repeated before the smallest details, dreamed of another person - the rich Roman Giovanni Patrizio (the temple was built later with his money).

Waking up, Liberius began to ask if snow had fallen somewhere? The question seemed somewhat strange to those around him - in Eternal City Snow is rare in winter, but now it was summer. But soon people were surprised to find out that the entire Esquiline Hill was covered in snow. There in 352, namely August 5, and the first stone was laid in the foundation of the new church.

The original name of the church was “Church of Our Lady of the Snow”, after its construction it received the name “Santa Maria Liberiana” (named after Bishop Liberius, who built this church); later, when a relic was brought to the temple - pieces of a manger - it began to be called “Santa Maria Presepe” (Madonna with a manger), and in preparation for the Council of Ephesus in Rome in 431, the church was renamed “Santa Maria Maggiore” - and already final.

The word "maggiore" means "large, majestic." Indeed, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is the largest of all 80 churches and basilicas in Rome.

Since then there has been a tradition - Every year on this day parishioners are showered with white rose petals at the entrance to the basilica- in memory of the day when snow fell on the Esquiline Hill on a hot August day (albeit in last years white dahlia petals are used). The mosaic on the floor at the entrance to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore has preserved this amazing history for centuries.

In 440, Pope Sixtus rebuilt the basilica, strengthening it, and called it by the name of the Blessed Virgin. Since then, each Pope who came to power rebuilt the basilica in his own way, introducing new elements and decorations into it. This has already become a tradition when each ruler made some changes to the architectural appearance of the city. True, not all buildings benefited from such changes. But the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, fortunately, did not suffer too much from other people’s ambitions.

In 1377, by order of Pope Gregory XIV, a Romanesque bell tower appeared above the basilica, which is 75 meters high and is considered the tallest bell tower. Every evening at 9 o'clock one of the five bells rings.

In 1740, the facade with a high portico and loggia was completed(author – architect Ferdinando Fuga). In this loggia, on one of the walls, decor has been preserved, which dates back to the beginning of the 14th century. By building a loggia and a portico, Fuga thereby saved the most valuable frescoes from destruction.

On the pages of our website you will learn several interesting facts about the famous one, and also how to get to it!
Have you heard about the existence of such a landmark in Rome as the Baths of Caracalla? Read all about the so-called “ancient baths” that have survived to this day.
And in Rome you can look at the majestic Spanish Steps! Let’s talk about why they say “138 steps to success” about it.

Description of attractions in Rome, photo

Despite the fact that the church was remodeled many times, these alterations concerned mainly appearance churches, and the interior decoration has remained almost unchanged since the 5th century. It is interesting that here several architectural styles, but not excluding, but only harmoniously complementing each other.

The façade with a high portico of five arcades (three arcades are exactly on the portico, or rather loggia) is divided by pilasters and decorated with columns. On the wall of the loggia there is a mosaic dating back to the 13th century, and depicting the historical moment of the appearance of the Blessed Mary before Bishop Liberius. This loggia was nicknamed the “Blessing Lodge” - it is from here that the Pope blesses his flock on the days of great celebrations.

Directly opposite the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, on the square, there is a Corinthian column 15 meters high - it is crowned with a bronze sculptural composition of the Virgin Mary and Child. This column was installed in 1614 by the grateful inhabitants of Rome as a sign of the city's deliverance from the plague. Previously, this statue, created by the French sculptor Guillaume Berthelot, was located in the Roman Forum (in the Basilica of Maxtenius), and was later moved to the square in front of Santa Maria Maggiore).

Looking at the interior decoration of the church, I want to exclaim only one thing all the time - “magnificent!”. Because other words are unlikely to convey the reverent state that arises when visiting the basilica.

The fact is that the atmosphere of an early Christian basilica has been perfectly preserved inside; the interiors and frescoes have remained almost untouched.

The frescoes on the walls of the basilica date back to the 5th century– but their colors remained clean and bright. Special attention should be paid to the numerous mosaics, some of which were laid out in the 5th-6th centuries.

The mosaic paintings of Santa Maria Maggiore are considered among the most ancient in Rome. The original mosaics remain on the side walls and triumphal arch, but the mosaics of the apse have suffered from time - in the 13th century they were replaced with new ones, trying to maintain the early Byzantine style. On the mosaics of the arch there are pictures from the life of Christ(childhood), as well as images of the evangelists and apostles Peter and Paul.

The central nave was inlaid with gold patterned mosaics and mosaic colored paintings under Pope Sixtus III. Against the background of the rich altar, the mosaic panels look especially solemn.

The central nave is decorated with mosaics depicting Old Testament scenes. The upper vault of the nave rests on 36 columns, and in the center of the nave there is a huge canopy on four columns (the author of the work is Ferdinando Fuga). On the main altar under the canopy rests a sarcophagus containing the relics of St. Matthew - one of the revered Christian relics of Rome.

Under the main altar there is a small crypt - Bethlehem. Here, in a silver reliquary, one of the most revered Christian relics is kept - a wooden manger, which is five small pieces of a wooden feeding trough, where the baby Jesus was laid after his birth. This shrine was brought to Rome by Empress Helena, who made a significant contribution to the development of Christianity.

One of the walls of the reliquary is made of the finest crystal, and the relic is clearly visible through it. Once a month, on the 25th, the shrine is opened to visitors so that they can worship it.

Pope Pius V and Saint Jerome are buried in the Bethlehem crypt, who is the author of the Latin translation of the Bible.

Of particular interest is the ceiling in the basilica - a coffered (caissons are rectangular recesses between beams and wooden ceilings) ceiling with gold trim was created in the 15th century according to the plans of the architect Giuliano da Sangallo. From a distance, the ceiling resembles a golden honeycomb.

Gold was used to decorate the ceiling, which was brought from Peru (after the discovery of the New World) to Spain, and later donated by the kings of Spain - Ferdinand and Isabella - to Pope Alexandro Borgia.

The floor of the cathedral is also a work of art– it is laid out from valuable marble of five different types and colors, in the form of complex geometric patterns. This technique of arranging geometric patterns from pieces of marble (“cosmateco”) was invented by the Cosmati family, who are presumably the authors of the works in the basilica. In the 18th century, a partial restoration of the mosaic floor was carried out, but in some places the design changed quite significantly.

The entire church is divided into three parts by a colonnade, three chapels. Each of them is of great interest to historians - the Sistine Chapel, the Borghese Chapel and the Sforza Chapel.

The Sistine Chapel. The luxurious chapel was built by order of Pope Sixtus V. Here, in this chapel, Sixtus himself and Pope Pius V are buried. Their graves are decorated with majestic tombstones. Sixtus's tombstone is made in the form of a figure of a kneeling Pope (author - Giovanni Paracca - "Valsoldo").

Borghese Chapel(aka Paolina Chapel). Its decoration is the icon of the Mother of God “The Salvation of the Roman People” (“Salus Populi Romani”), the author of which, according to popular legend, is the Apostle Luke himself. Scientists carried out a radiocarbon analysis of the icon - it turned out that its age is almost 2000 years. It was this icon that served as the reason for the deliverance of Rome from the plague - Pope Pius V personally walked with prayers from the basilica to St. Peter's Cathedral, holding the icon in his hands, and the plague soon receded.
Photography is prohibited in the Paolina Chapel; it is open only for prayer. In addition, there are two burials in the chapel - Pope Clement XVIII and Paul V.