Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Loreto
At the heart of this sparkling 17th-century Baroque pilgrimage site is its claim
to fame and most proud possession: a replica of the original Santa Casa in
Loreto, Italy, believed to be the house where the Virgin Mary received the
Incarnation. Construction of the grandiose church and the surrounding
chapels coincided with the Counter Reformation, and one of Prague's first
Baroque buildings was intended to lure Czechs back to the Catholic faith.
Top 10 Features
1 Loretánské nám∂stí
2 Santa Casa
3 Belltower
4 Outer Courtyard
5 Arcade
6 St Wilgifortis Altar
7 Church of the Nativity
8 Altars of SS Felissimus
and Marcia
9 Treasury
0 Diamond Monstrance
Loreto entrance
Just around the
corner from the
Loreto, at Kapu≤ínská
2, is a monument to
people tortured by
the secret police at
the former Interior
Ministry building
• Loretánské nám∂stí 7
• Map A2
• 220 516740
• Open 9am-12:15pm,
1-4:30pm Tue-Sun
• Adm K≤90
Belltower
The carillon
(below)
was
the gift of a Prague merchant
whose daughter was healed
by the intercession of the
Lady of Loreto. An automated
mechanism chimes a Marian
hymn every hour.
Loretánské
nám∂stí
This square is said to
have been a pagan burial
ground. The stucco
façade of the Loreto
(above)
is dwarfed by the
≥ernin Palace opposite,
home of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.
Santa Casa
The stucco reliefs on
the outside of this replica
of the Holy Family's
house in Nazareth depict
scenes from the Virgin
Mary's life. Inside is the
miracle-working statue of
Our Lady of Loreto.
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