Santuario della Santa Casa di Loreto

The Santuario della Santa Casa in the hilltop town of Loreto, in the Ancona province of the Marche, is among the most visited Marian pilgrimage sites in the Catholic world. At its heart lies the Santa Casa, or Holy House, three plain stone walls that tradition holds to be the Nazareth dwelling of the Virgin Mary, said to have been brought to Loreto in 1294. Whatever one's view of the legend, the relic has drawn pilgrims for more than seven centuries and shaped one of Italy's great religious monuments. The vast basilica that encloses the Holy House was begun in 1468 in late-Gothic form and developed over the following century with the involvement of many of the leading architects of the age, including Giuliano da Sangallo and Donato Bramante, who designed the richly carved marble screen that surrounds the humble brick house at the centre of the church. The dome was raised by Giuliano da Sangallo in 1500, and the campanile, around 75 metres tall, was added by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th century. The interior contains frescoes by Melozzo da Forlì and Luca Signorelli, and the sacristies preserve important Renaissance decorative cycles. The Madonna of Loreto was declared patroness of air travellers and aviators by Pope Benedict XV in 1920. Entry to the basilica is free, though modest dress is required: shoulders and knees must be covered. The basilica opens daily from 6:15 AM until 7 PM, slightly later in summer. The elevated piazza outside, designed in part by Bramante and Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, offers sweeping views toward the Conero coast and the Apennines. Allow around an hour to an hour and a half.