One of the most opulent basilicas in Rome, at the top of an iconic staircase at the highest point of the Campidoglio hill: if you are planning a wedding in the Eternal City and are looking for a location that will leave everyone breathless, choose the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli.
The entrance, high up on the hill, is preceded by 124 marble steps, a vertical staircase that allows the bride and groom a triumphal entrance and exit. The inside is breathtaking: a riot of stucco and frescoes, gold, marble and crystal enclosing works of art by masters such as Pinturicchio, Pomarancio and Benozzo Gozzoli. The location is legendary, as the story of its origin. According to tradition, it was the Emperor Augustus who decreed the top of the hill as a sacred place, after he had a premonitory dream about the birth of Christ, in which he saw the Madonna and Child on the spot where the Aracoeli Basilica in Rome stands today. A voice spoke in the dream and said “This is the Altar of the Son of God”, and from that came the name that has survived to this day. Over the years it has been a Benedictine Basilica, which is why it has the characteristic Roman-Gothic appearance on the outside: the place where Francesco Petrarch was crowned a poet in 1341, the site of the statue of the Holy Child made, according to tradition, from the olive trees of the Mount of Gethsemane but stolen in 1994, a stable during the French occupation in 1797 and a basilica again after 1870.
Today, it welcomes the bride and groom with its timeless beauty, which during weddings is accentuated by precious decorations designed by professional florists and long carpets running through the nave. Among the several historical organs of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, one is also usable, and the organisation provides an official organist to accompany the ceremony with the sound of an ancient and precious instrument. The Basilica is also very spacious, accommodating up to 300 people, making it perfect for weddings with many guests.
To get married at the Aracoeli Basilica make a reservation at least one year in advance.
