Pontifical basilica of the Holy House of Loreto, Marian basilica in Loreto, Italy
The Pontifical basilica of the Holy House of Loreto is a Marian shrine in Loreto, in the Marche, built from 1468 in a Late Gothic style and later continued by Giuliano da Maiano, Giuliano da Sangallo and Bramante. It measures 93 metres long and 60 metres wide. Its white stone facade, completed in 1587, has three portals and two clock towers, and the bell tower by Luigi Vanvitelli (1750-1754) is 75.6 metres high.
Construction of the church started in 1468 under Pope Paul II, who launched the project in response to the growing number of pilgrims. Renowned architects such as Bramante, Vanvitelli and Sangallo contributed to expansions and renovations over the centuries.
The name Loreto comes from Loreta, a noblewoman of Recanati who owned the grove where pilgrims said they were going "to the Madonna of Loreta". The shrine holds a cedar-wood Madonna and Child crowned in 1922, replacing the 15th-century Black Madonna destroyed by fire in 1921; Pope Benedict XV named Our Lady of Loreto patroness of air passengers in 1920.
The church opens early in the morning and closes in the evening every day, allowing visitors to enter throughout the day. Several masses take place during the day, including some held in foreign languages for international pilgrims.
Three ancient stone walls inside are believed to come from the original house of the Virgin Mary in Nazareth. Legends say that angels carried these walls through the air across Croatia to Loreto in the 13th century, though historical research points to transport by ship.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,760 contributors worldwide.
