On a summer night in 352 AD, legend holds that a wealthy Roman patrician and his wife dreamed that the Virgin Mary instructed them to build a church where they would find snow the next morning—an astonishing prophecy, given the heat of August in Rome. The next day, Pope Liberius witnessed a miraculous snowfall on the Esquiline Hill, marking the spot for what would become Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the city’s most important basilicas. Bartolomé Estebán Murillo chose this moment of divine intervention for his 1664 painting, capturing the intersection of faith, wonder, and papal authority.

The work was part of a series commissioned for the church of Santa María la Blanca in Seville, itself recently rededicated to the Virgin, linking local devotion with the universal Church. Murillo’s canvas freezes the instant when the patrician, eyes wide with awe, recounts his dream to the seated Pope. The figures are arranged in a gentle arc, their gestures animated: the patrician’s outstretched hands signal urgency and sincerity, while the Pope, robed in white and gold, listens intently, his attendants leaning in. In the background, Murillo bathes the scene in a warm, golden light, suggesting the supernatural presence of the Virgin, whose apparition floats above, enveloped in cloud.

The artist’s soft brushwork and luminous palette, hallmarks of the Spanish Baroque, heighten the sense of intimacy and revelation. Unlike the more theatrical treatments by Matteo da Siena in Rome, Murillo’s version favors human warmth over grandeur, focusing on the emotional bond between visionary and pontiff. The painting was created during a period when Seville’s churches were commissioning grand cycles to celebrate the Counter-Reformation’s emphasis on Marian devotion. While the exact medium is uncertain, Murillo’s works for Santa María la Blanca are typically oil on canvas.

Over the centuries, the painting has remained in Spain, surviving periods of war and upheaval thanks to its ecclesiastical setting. Today, it stands as a testament to Murillo’s reputation as Seville’s leading painter of religious narratives, bridging local tradition with universal stories of faith. Its gentle humanity and luminous storytelling continue to draw visitors, echoing the miraculous snow that once fell on Rome.