Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Outer Courtyard
From the arcade
(above)
, visitors
can admire two Baroque fountains.
The north fountain features a sculp-
ture of the Resurrection; the south,
the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
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Plan of The Loreto
Treasury
The Communists
crafted this exhibit of
sacred gold and silver
items to show how
peasants were brought
to obedience with this
“cheap promise of happi-
ness beyond the grave.”
Diamond
Monstrance
The silver work by
Johann Bernard Fischer
von Erlach is covered
with 6,222 diamonds.
The Virgin looks up at her
son, represented by the
host in the receptacle.
Santa Casa
The Santa Casa was the
Nazareth house in
which the archangel
Gabriel is believed to
have announced to the
Virgin Mary that she
would conceive the Son
of God. In the 13th cen-
tury, the Greek Angeli
family moved the house
to Loreto, Italy. As the
Marian cult spread,
copies of the Loreto
started emerging all over
Europe - the Prague site
(below)
is believed to be
the truest represen-
tation of the original.
Arcade
Before and after
visiting the Santa Casa,
pilgrims passed through
the arcade and prayed at
its chapels of St Anne, St
Francis Seraphim, the
Holy Family, the Holy
Rood, St Antony of Padua
and Our Lady of Sorrows.
Church of the
Nativity
Originally a small alcove
behind the Santa Casa,
the church was expanded
into its present size in
1717. The Rococo organ
stands opposite the altar,
over a crypt to Loreto
benefactors.
St Wilgifortis
Altar
The Chapel of Our Lady
of Sorrows is dominated
by the sight of a crucified,
bearded woman. St Wilgi-
fortis was a Portuguese
maiden who prayed for a
masculine appearance to
preserve her chastity.
Altars of SS
Felicissimus
and Marcia
On either side of the
altar in the Church of
the Nativity are large
reliquary displays
containing the
remains of these
two Spanish saints.
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