Loreto - Sights and History

These sights make Loreto an attractive destination for religious pilgrims, art lovers and history buffs who want to experience the city's spiritual atmosphere, magnificent architecture and artistic treasures.

• Basilica della Santa Casa: The Basilica della Santa Casa is a famous pilgrimage church and an important Marian shrine in Loreto. According to tradition, it was built on the site where the house of the Holy Family of Nazareth, the Holy Casa, is said to have stood. The basilica consists of a rectangular main building with an impressive dome and a Gothic bell tower. The interior of the basilica is magnificently decorated and houses numerous works of art, including sculptures, paintings and relics. The Santa Casa itself can be visited by visitors and is a place of intense spiritual worship.
• Palazzo Apostolico: The Palazzo Apostolico is the papal palace in Loreto and serves as the Pope's residence during his visit to the city. The building impresses with its Renaissance architecture and historical significance. Inside the palace are magnificent halls and rooms furnished with valuable works of art, furniture and antiques. The Palazzo Apostolico is also known for its impressive collection of religious artefacts, including liturgical vestments and liturgical utensils, which are displayed in the palace's museum.
• Museo Pinacoteca: The Museo Pinacoteca is an art museum in Loreto that houses a diverse collection of paintings and sculptures. The collection includes works from different periods, including Renaissance, Baroque and modern art. Visitors can admire masterpieces by famous artists such as Titian, Lorenzo Lotto, Carlo Crivelli and others. The museum offers a fascinating insight into the region's art history and shows the artistic development and diversity over the centuries. In addition to paintings and sculptures, there are also other artistic artefacts to see, such as artistically designed religious objects.

The origins of this town lie in the Middle Ages. In a list of churches subordinate to the Bishop of Recanati, drawn up in 1249, Loreto is not mentioned. It is a settlement that arose from the presence of a sanctuary. Over the centuries, the history of Loreto has been closely intertwined with the events of its sanctuary.

The "Holy House of Loreto" is considered to be the house of Mary, the Mother of God, where she was born and lived in Nazareth. It consisted of a rock grotto, which is still venerated today in the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, and a house made of stones attached to the grotto. It was in this house that the archangel Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus to Mary, and it was there that Jesus grew up. It is also reported that Luke carved a wooden sculpture of Mary with the baby Jesus in her arms in this house, which was black because of the ebony wood used.

Legend has it that after the 5th Crusade failed and Jerusalem was taken by the Muslims, the house was taken by angels to Trsat, which is now a district of Rijeka in Croatia. In 1291, after the anti-feudalistic "Code of Vinodol" had come into force in Trsat and the ruler Hugo of Duino increasingly came into conflict with the Patriarch of Aquileia, the house was transferred by the angels to a laurel grove near Recanati. Due to the fact that this grove proved to be a meeting place for the robber gangs of the time, the house was eventually moved to the garden of two brothers near Loreto. Finally, on 10 December 1294, it moved to the hill of Loreto, where the town then developed. There are also other accounts which say that the house was brought to Loreto by a pious shipping family called "de Angeli". Mary is said to have grown up in this house and received the Annunciation of the Lord. In the middle of the 15th century, the construction of a large basilica over the Santa Casa was begun. During the Marian feast days, the town is full of pilgrims.

As early as 1296, Count Nicholas Frangipani sent three envoys to Nazareth, who took precise information about the dimensions of the little house, its building materials and the objects inside, in order to check everything on site. The dimensions of the house completely matched the foundations of the missing house in Nazareth. In 1860, Pope Pius IX commissioned the Roman scholar Bartolini to examine the stones and mortar of the Holy House. Bartolini found that the stones and mortar of the house in Loreto were identical to the stones of the existing foundation in Nazareth. Moreover, the stones only occur in the vicinity of Nazareth, but not in the vicinity of Loreto.
Pope Julius II (1503-1513) commissioned Donato Bramante (1444-1514) with the marble cladding of the house, which took from 1513 to 1527 to complete. This cladding is considered a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance sculpture.

Tradition prompted pilots during the First World War to choose Our Lady, venerated in Loreto, as their patron saint. Pope Benedict XV confirmed this with a decree on 24 March 1920.

During the Second World War, Loreto suffered severe damage from bombing. Due to its strategic location and proximity to the Adriatic Sea, the city became a target of allied attacks. In 1944 in particular, Loreto was bombed several times, resulting in the destruction of many historical buildings and the devastation of the city. However, the Basilica della Santa Casa remained mostly unscathed, which was considered a miracle by the inhabitants. The inhabitants of Loreto had to go through hard times during the war and were affected by losses and destruction. After the war, the reconstruction of the town began in order to preserve its unique history and cultural significance. Today, memorials and monuments in Loreto commemorate the victims of the war and symbolise the city's resistance and rebirth.