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| The Miracle of the Holy House of Loreto by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1743) |
Our Lady of Loreto, also spelled as Loretto, is one of the titles of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is associated with the house she was born in and the site of the Annunciation and the home of the Holy Family. The tradition of this Holy House originates from the Apostolic times. In the 13th century the house miraculously moved from Nazareth in the Holy Land to Loreto, Italy, carried there by angels. It was moved to prevent its destruction by the Moslems. A basilica was built around the Holy House in Italy, called the Basilica della Santa Casa (which in English is Basilica of the Holy House). On the doors of the Basilica is written “The whole world has no place more sacred… For here was the Word made Flesh, and here was born the Virgin Mother.”
