Our Lady of Loreto

The Holy House of the Incarnation

At Loreto there is venerated, according to tradition, the house of Nazareth where the Virgin received the angel's announcement and where the Holy Family lived. It is one of the great Marian shrines of Europe.

The Holy House

According to the Loreto tradition, the Holy House is the dwelling of the Virgin at Nazareth, the place of the Annunciation and of the life of the Holy Family. Medieval tradition holds that, in order to preserve it, it was carried to Loreto toward the end of the 13th century (traditionally 1294); Later studies suggest that a noble family, the "Angeli," may have taken part in transporting the stones from Nazareth.

From the 15th century onward the Holy House was enclosed within a great basilica, becoming the goal of constant pilgrimages and the object of the popes' special attention. The devotion spread throughout the world, giving its name to numerous parishes and shrines, and becoming linked to the patronage over aviation, recognized by the Holy See in the 20th century.