The foundation of the church of Santa Maria Maggiore

The dating of the creation and authorship of the altar image, as well as the most important altar of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore , remains controversial. The most likely assumption is that the altar is a joint work of Masolino and Masaccio . ^{[4] The} latter’s brushes belong to the altar image “ Saints Jerome and John the Baptist ”, written by him before his death and dating to the beginning of 1428, while other altar images, according to John Spike, were created by the painter since 1423. It is known that Masaccio began work on the Colonna altar on the anniversary year during the pontificate of Pope Martin V. Thus, the “Founding of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore” was the first joint work of the two painters, preceding their cooperation in creating frescoes in the chapel of Brancacci and the image of “ Our Lady with the Baby and St. Anne ”. According to some reports, “Founding of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore” was completely written by Masolino, and Masaccio only included the image in the altar, the work on which was completed by Masolino after his death.

Cardinal Oddone Colonna, who occupied the Holy See in 1417 under the name of Pope Martin V, managed to overcome the Great Western Schism . In the years 1419-1420 he stayed in Florence , hoping to return to Rome as soon as order was restored there. Pope probably met in Florence, with artists who worked in the city - Gentile da Fabriano , Arcangelo di Cola , Lorenzo Ghiberti and Masolino. Upon his return to Rome, Martin V began a project to restore the former glory of the eternal city, and in 1423 proclaimed an anniversary. It seems that it is on this date that some iconographic details of the altar hint.

The Colonna Altar was moved to the small chapel near the sacristy ( Colonna Chapel ) until the middle of the 16th century, where he was found by Giorgio Vasari and Michelangelo . Probably, they saw only part of the altar, which is why they attributed its authorship completely to Masaccio, ignoring the participation of Masolino.

In 1653, the altar of the Column was again moved, now to the Palazzo Farnese . Then it was divided by panels into six separate paintings, which were listed in the inventory as the works of Fra Angelico . Later, the paintings were held by different owners, periodically appearing in the antiques market, until they fell into the collections of several museums. The central altar images, considered by specialists to be the most valuable parts of the altar, came to Naples through the legacy of the Farnese clan, became part of the Farnese gallery and is exhibited in Hall 5 at the Capodimonte Museum.

The plot of the altar image tells of a wonderful event associated with the founding of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. ^[5] According to legend, during the hot August of 358, overnight, suddenly, snow began, which outlined the basilica on the Esquiline hill. In this dream, the Blessed Virgin Mary indicated to a certain patrician John and his wife, as the place where the church should be erected in Her honor. Pope Liberius fulfilled the wish of the Mother of God. He is depicted in the foreground in a tiara and with a hoe in his hands, tracing the outline of the apse of the future basilica, which can be seen highlighted on the ground with snow. According to Giorgio Vasari, the image of Pope Liberia is a portrait of Pope Martin V, next to which is the emperor Sigismund .

Around the Pope, numerous townspeople are depicted, and on the sides there are several buildings in perspective . Even the clouds from which snow falls seem to want to recreate a simplified perspective at the top. Above, in a lunette, in a circle, Christ and the Mother of God are depicted, who created this miracle.

• Stefano Borsi. Masolino . - Firenze: Giunti Editore, 2003 .-- S. 38 .-- 50 p. - ISBN 880903207-1 .
• Napoli e dintorni . - Milano: Touring Editore, 2001 .-- S. 349. - 720 p. - ISBN 883651954-7 .
• John T. Spike. Masaccio . - Milano: Rizzoli libri illustrati, 2002 .-- S. 43 .-- 244 p. - ISBN 88-7423-007-9 .

• Altar Column
• Virgin Mary Snow