While the basilica houses many important relics – those of the true cross, holy crib, St. Matthew and St. Jerome – one of its most important pieces is an icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Legend claims the icon was “written” (painted) by St. Luke the Evangelist, but most scholars agree that it dates from the 13th century. Its name, “Salus Populi Romani” (“Health of the Roman People”), comes from a miracle in which the icon helped shield Rome from the plague after it was carried through the streets. In what was to become one of his most iconic moments, Pope Francis stood in an empty St. Peter’s Square on the rainy evening of March 27, 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic began. Before the icon and the 14th-century statue of the “Miraculous Crucifix,” the Holy Father prayed for faith and strength for the world amid the crisis.