Loreto pilgrimage

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Transfer of Maria's house to Loreto, painting from the 16th century

Loreto pilgrimages lead to the basilica of the Holy House in Loreto or to the Loreto chapels built according to their model across Europe .

The pilgrimage arose from the devotion to Mary , mother of Jesus , and the house where she grew up and received the angel's message . This house, the Santa Casa , according to legend, fled Nazareth when the Holy Land fell to Islam in 1291 . It is said to have been carried away by angels and set down on May 10, 1291 in Trsat in present-day Croatia , near Rijeka (Italian Fiume ). On the night of December 10, 1294, the house disappeared and was relocated to the Recanati area . There it was given the name domus lauretana, which is derived either from a “laurel grove” or from a woman named Laureta, on whose property the house had ended up.

The house moved several times because the owners proved to be unworthy and argued about the pilgrims' offerings.

The pilgrimage to Loreto originated at the beginning of the 14th century. The chapel, the "House of Mary", stood in an uninhabited area. The Loreto worship initially prevailed in popular belief . From the middle of the 15th century, today's basilica was built around the Casa Santa; the Holy House was given an elaborate Renaissance cladding. In 1554 the Jesuits came to Loreto, eager to promote the worship of the Holy House. They created Loreto chapels as replicas with their own pilgrimages in many countries .

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