Today, December 10, we celebrate the feastday of Our Lady of Loreto. What or where is Loreto? I place here the webpage from
Holy House of Loreto
The Holy House of Loreto is one of the most revered Marian shrines in the world. Since medieval times, the Holy House has been believed to be the very home in which the Virgin Mary lived, conceived and raised the young Jesus.
A large basilica has been built around the small shrine, and the sacred site attracts as many as 4 million Catholic pilgrims and visitors each year.
History of Holy House of Loreto
According to the New Testament, Jesus was raised by Mary and Joseph in a small town called Nazareth, near Jerusalem. Joseph was a carpenter, and their house was humble. Three centuries after the life of Jesus, the newly-converted Emperor Constantine built a basilica over the humble brick house believed to have sheltered the Holy Family.
According to Catholic tradition, the Holy House came under threat during the turmoil of the Crusades, so in 1291, angels miraculously translated the house from its original location to a site in modern-dayCroatia. An empty space was left in Nazareth and a small house suddenly appeared in a field in Croatia. The bewildered parish priest, brought to the scene by shepherds who discovered it, had a vision in which the Virgin Mary revealed it was her former house.
On December 10, 1294, the house was again moved by angels because of the Muslim invasion of Albania. It landed first in Recanti, Italy, but was shortly thereafter moved for a third time to its present location in Loreto.
The Holy House of Loreto, or Santa Casa di Loreto in Italian, has been venerated by pilgrims great and small, including many popes and saints, and numerous miracles and healings have been reported. Scientists are said to have confirmed the materials to be the same as those found in Nazareth and the house lacks normal foundations.
Many historians, Catholics included, are not entirely convinced. One problem is that there is no historical record of a house like that at Loreto existing in Nazareth. Instead, it seems pilgrims to Nazareth had venerated a kind of natural cavern in the rock as the abode of Mary and Jesus.
Another problem is that no reports have been found from the Middle East regarding the sudden disappearance of a Nazareth house. The first mention of this comes in the 16th century, after it was suggested from the West. Even in the West, no mention of the Holy House has been found until the 15th century. Additionally, there is evidence that a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary existed in Loreto before the traditional date of the arrival of the Holy House.
Given these factors, one common hypothesis about the origin of the Marian shrine of Loreto is that a miraculous statue or image of the Virgin was brought from Croatia to Loreto and placed in a humble abode that came to be venerated as well. Another possibility is that crusaders or monks brought a house, or parts of it, from the Holy Land.
Catholics who tend towards one of these less miraculous explanations are careful to point out that this does not mean pilgrims should not visit or pray at the shrine, nor that the Blessed Virgin does not work miracles there.
In 1469, a large basilica was built over the Holy House at Loreto, and still stands today. In 1507, a marble enclosure was constructed around the House inside the basilica, and in 1510, the site was officially approved for pilgrimages. Over the centuries, countless pilgrims have kneeled inside the basilica around the Holy House, wearing a trough in the hard rock.
In 1910, Our Lady of Loreto became the patron saint of pilots, because of the tradition of the house's flight from Nazareth. On September 8, the traditional birthdate of the Virgin Mary, pilots gather at the shrine to pray and participate in a colorful procession.
Map of Holy House of Loreto
Below is a location map and aerial view of Holy House of Loreto. Using the buttons on the left (or the wheel on your mouse), you can zoom in for a closer look, or zoom out to get your bearings. To move around, click and drag the map with your mouse.
The Basilica sheltering the Holy House has been rebuilt and repaired periodically since its construction in 1469, leaving it with a Renaissance exterior and a Gothic interior.
Inside the basilica, the Holy House is, of course, the main attraction. It is a small stone building measuring 13 x 31 feet, with traces of medieval murals on the inner walls. On the east wall (not part of the original building) is an altar with the Latin inscription Hic Verbum Caro Factum Est, "Here the Word was made flesh." A statue of the Virgin stands above the altar.
Festivals and Events
December 10 is the feast day of Our Lady of Loreto.
Getting There
Loreto is just off the Autostrada A14 between Pescara (south) and Bologna (north). Paid parking is available beneath the basilica.
Note: This information was accurate when first published and we do our best to keep it updated, but details such as opening hours and prices can change without notice. To avoid disappointment, please check with the site directly before making a special trip.
"I was moved by the heartfelt petition that came from your lips: 'My God, my only desire is to be pleasing in your sight; nothing else matters to me. My Mother Immaculate, may I be motivated exclusively by Love.'"
“How would we have acted, if we could have chosen our own mother? I’m sure we would have chosen the one we have, adorning her with every possible grace. That is what Christ did. Christ being all‑powerful, all‑wise, Love itself, his power carried out his Will. . . . This is the clearest reason why our Lord granted his mother , from the very moment of her Immaculate Conception, all possible privileges. She was free from the power of Satan. She is beautiful, spotless and pure in soul and body.”
As we conclude the novena today, we share with you one last thought from St Josemaria to accompany you as you remain close to our Lady in preparation for the great feast of Christmas:
“When you see yourself with a dry heart, without knowing what to say, go with confidence to the Virgin Mary. Say to her, ‘My Mother Immaculate, intercede for me.’ If you invoke her with faith, she will make you taste in the midst of your dryness the proximity of God” (Furrow, no. 695).
If you enjoyed this novena, please remain with us during Advent as each Sunday we share the day’s Gospel, a reflection, anecdotes from the life of St Josemaria, and points for reflection and prayer.
"I was moved by the heartfelt petition that came from your lips: 'My God, my only desire is to be pleasing in your sight; nothing else matters to me. My Mother Immaculate, may I be motivated exclusively by Love.'"
“Let us ask the Blessed Virgin to make us contemplatives, to teach us to recognize the constant calls from God at the door of our heart. Let us ask her now: Our Mother, you brought to earth Jesus, who reveals the love of our Father God. Help us to recognize him in the midst of the cares of each day. Stir up our mind and will so that we may listen to the voice of God, to the calls of grace.”
Let us offer to our Mother today:
A visit to Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.
The Novena to the Immaculate Conception is a custom that flourished in the Church as a way of preparing for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8.
St Josemaria encouraged everyone to practice this devotion and to do so personally in whatever way they thought best. In addition to special prayers and readings, our devotion can also include a greater effort to keep up a constant conversation with our Lady and to put loving care into our prayer and daily tasks. During the novena we can also help our family members, friends and acquaintances to come closer to Jesus Christ through our Mother Mary.
For the nine days leading up to the feast day, we will be sharing with you daily readings and offerings to Mary we’ve selected from the Handbook of Prayers.
"I was moved by the heartfelt petition that came from your lips: 'My God, my only desire is to be pleasing in your sight; nothing else matters to me. My Mother Immaculate, may I be motivated exclusively by Love.'"
“Our Lady, a full participant in the work of our salvation, follows in the footsteps of her Son: the poverty of Bethlehem, the everyday work of a hidden life in Nazareth, the manifestation of his divinity in Cana of Galilee, the tortures of his passion, the divine sacrifice on the cross, the eternal blessedness of paradise.
“All of this affects us directly, because this supernatural itinerary is the way we are to follow. Mary shows us that we can walk this path with confidence. She has preceded us on the way of imitating Christ; her glorification is the firm hope of our own salvation. For these reasons we call her ‘our hope, cause of our joy.’”
The Novena to the Immaculate Conception is a custom that flourished in the Church as a way of preparing for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8.
St Josemaria encouraged everyone to practice this devotion and to do so personally in whatever way they thought best. In addition to special prayers and readings, our devotion can also include a greater effort to keep up a constant conversation with our Lady and to put loving care into our prayer and daily tasks. During the novena we can also help our family members, friends and acquaintances to come closer to Jesus Christ through our Mother Mary.
For the nine days leading up to the feast day, we will be sharing with you daily readings and offerings to Mary we’ve selected from the Handbook of Prayers.
"I was moved by the heartfelt petition that came from your lips: 'My God, my only desire is to be pleasing in your sight; nothing else matters to me. My Mother Immaculate, may I be motivated exclusively by Love.'"
“If our faith is weak, we should turn to Mary. St. John tells us that it was because of the miracle that Christ performed, at his mother ’s request, at the marriage feast at Cana, that ‘his disciples learned to believe in him.’ Our Mother is always interceding with her Son, so that he may attend to our needs and show himself to us in such a way that we can cry out, ‘You are the Son of God!’”
Let us offer to our Mother today:
The “Memorare” for the person in our family who most needs the help of our Lady.
The Novena to the Immaculate Conception is a custom that flourished in the Church as a way of preparing for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8.
St Josemaria encouraged everyone to practice this devotion and to do so personally in whatever way they thought best. In addition to special prayers and readings, our devotion can also include a greater effort to keep up a constant conversation with our Lady and to put loving care into our prayer and daily tasks. During the novena we can also help our family members, friends and acquaintances to come closer to Jesus Christ through our Mother Mary.
For the nine days leading up to the feast day, we will be sharing with you daily readings and offerings to Mary we’ve selected from the Handbook of Prayers.
"I was moved by the heartfelt petition that came from your lips: 'My God, my only desire is to be pleasing in your sight; nothing else matters to me. My Mother Immaculate, may I be motivated exclusively by Love.'"
“I like to go back in my imagination to the years Jesus spent close to his mother , years which span almost the whole of his life on earth. I like to picture him as a little child, cared for by Mary, who kisses him and plays with him. I like to see him growing up before the loving eyes of his mother and of Joseph, his father on earth. What tenderness and care Mary and the holy Patriarch must have shown toward Jesus, as they looked after him during his childhood, all the while, silently, learning so much from him. Their souls would become more and more like the soul of that Son, who was both man and God. This is why his mother , and after her St. Joseph, understand better than anyone the feelings of the heart of Christ; and the two of them are thus the best way, I would say the only way, to reach the Savior.”
Let us offer to our Mother today:
The effort of doing our ordinary work well, on time, with competence and finesse.
The Novena to the Immaculate Conception is a custom that flourished in the Church as a way of preparing for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8.
St Josemaria encouraged everyone to practice this devotion and to do so personally in whatever way they thought best. In addition to special prayers and readings, our devotion can also include a greater effort to keep up a constant conversation with our Lady and to put loving care into our prayer and daily tasks. During the novena we can also help our family members, friends and acquaintances to come closer to Jesus Christ through our Mother Mary.
For the nine days leading up to the feast day, we will be sharing with you daily readings and offerings to Mary we’ve selected from the Handbook of Prayers.
"I was moved by the heartfelt petition that came from your lips: 'My God, my only desire is to be pleasing in your sight; nothing else matters to me. My Mother Immaculate, may I be motivated exclusively by Love.'"
“Iesus Christus, Deus homo: Jesus Christ, God‑man. This is one of the ‘mighty works of God,’ which we should reflect upon and thank him for. He has come to bring ‘peace on earth to men of good will,’ to all who want to unite their wills to the holy will of God—not just the rich, not just the poor, but everyone: all the brethren. We are all brothers in Jesus, children of God, brothers of Christ. His mother is our mother .”
Let us offer to our Mother today:
Jesus himself, when we receive him in holy Communion.
The Novena to the Immaculate Conception is a custom that flourished in the Church as a way of preparing for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8.
St Josemaria encouraged everyone to practice this devotion and to do so personally in whatever way they thought best. In addition to special prayers and readings, our devotion can also include a greater effort to keep up a constant conversation with our Lady and to put loving care into our prayer and daily tasks. During the novena we can also help our family members, friends and acquaintances to come closer to Jesus Christ through our Mother Mary.
For the nine days leading up to the feast day, we will be sharing with you daily readings and offerings to Mary we’ve selected from the Handbook of Prayers.
