OUR LADY OF LORETO

Hey loves,

As flowers burst into bloom and life radiates beauty, the beautiful month of May is here bringing with it a new Marian post!

Let’s go to Italy and learn all about the beautiful story of Our Lady of Loreto !

The shrine of Our Lady of Loreto, located on the Adriatic coast of Italy in the province of Ancona, is the third largest Marian shrine in Europe next to Lourdes and Fatima.

It has been the heart of devotion to Our Lady of Loreto since the Middle Ages.

The Basilica della Santa Casa (basilica of the Holy House) contains the house in which the Virgin Mary lived. Legend has it that the Holy House of Mary was miraculously transported from Nazareth by the Angels.

The small house, measuring 31×13 feet, is the place where the Virgin Mary was born and raised and where the Annunciation took place.

Within the house is the “Altar of Apostles” traditionally believed to have been built by the Apostles after the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven, with Saint Peter being the first to offer Mass there.

Before departing from the port of Acre, legend recounts that on May 12, 1291, just prior to the Crusaders’ departure, Angels transported the Holy House from Nazareth to the small town of Tersatto, now known as Trsat, Croatia where it resided for three and a half years. Locals were shocked at its arrival. Upon entering the house, they saw the altar with a cedar statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child. A few days later, the Blessed Virgin Mary reportedly appeared to a priest within the Holy House, disclosing its sacred origin. She then miraculously cured the priest of an illness he had been suffering from. The Holy House quickly became a place of pilgrimage, deeply cherished and revered by the community as an object of profound devotion.

The legend further narrates that on December 10, 1294, the House was once again uplifted by Angels and transported to Italy. The saddened people of Tersatto constructed a replica and inscribed the words, “The Holy House of the Virgin Mary came from Nazareth on May 10, 1291, and stayed here until December 10, 1294.” Today, this location is commemorated by the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat and a Franciscan monastery, constituting one of Croatia’s foremost pilgrimage destinations.

Upon its arrival in Italy, the Holy House settled on a hillside with a view of the port of Ancona, where it remained for nine months. Today, that very spot is marked by a shrine, and the surrounding town is named Posatora, signifying “to land and pray”. In 1295, the Holy House relocated approximately twenty miles south, close to the town of Recanati. Eight months later, it was transferred to a farm owned by two brothers of the Antici family. Finally, four months afterward, it was moved for the last time to the center of a public road in Loreto.

To protect The Holy House, it was enclosed by an imposing marble screen, crafted by Bramante and executed by esteemed artisans of his time. The four sides of the marble enclosure represent the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Arrival of the House at Loreto and the Nativity of the Blessed Mother.

Within the house is a beautiful shrine to Our Lady, with a statue of the Madonna and Child Jesus carved from Lebanon cedar wood, which calls to mind the words of the psalmist: “The just shall flourish like the palm tree, shall grow like a cedar of Lebanon” (Psalm 92:13). The smoke that the wooden statue absorbed over the centuries has given it a very dark tint. This sacred image is adorned with lavish jewels that gleam in the glow of perpetually lit silver lamps.

The Holy House is a place of deep devotion. Our Lady of Loreto parish was founded in 1998.

The liturgical feast of Our Lady of Loreto is celebrated on December 10th.

Pope Benedict XV named Our Lady of Loreto “the Patroness of all air travelers” on March 24, 1920.

Prayer: Our Lady of Loreto, your home was a sacred place. Within it, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Within your home, you raised your divine Son and saw Him grow in grace and virtue. The love you shared with your Son in that home was pure and perfect in every way. Please pray for me, that my home will more fully reflect the grace and virtue that abounded in your home so that my home will become more like your Holy House. Our Lady of Loreto, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

May you have a blessed month of May!

With love,

Maja ❤️