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Irapuato
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Loreto: The Mystery of The Holy House - Trailer jansonmedia | September 24, 2010 grm.to/91UOgw An exclusive documentary investigation into one of the most fascinating and controversial mysteries of …More
Loreto: The Mystery of The Holy House - Trailer

jansonmedia | September 24, 2010 grm.to/91UOgw
An exclusive documentary investigation into one of the most fascinating and controversial mysteries of Christianity. How was the Holy House of the Virgin Mary transported from its original location in Nazareth, Palestine, to the town of Loreto on Italy's Adriatic coast?

Please visit Janson Media for more information: grm.to/91UOgw
a.t.m
„Sancte Michael Archangele,defende nos in proelio contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium. ‘Imperet illi Deus‘, supplices deprecamur: tuque, Princeps militiae coelestis, Satanam aliosque spiritus malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo, divina virtute, in infernum detrude.
Amen.“
Studio3TV
Il DVD del documentario dal titolo LORETO Il mistero della Santa Casa si può acquistare online www.mysterycollection.it/it/virtuemart.html è diponibile in due lingue Italiano e Inglese.
Buona Visione
The DVD of the documentary entitled LORETO The mystery of the Holy House, you can buy online at www.mysterycollection.it/en/virtuemart.html it is available in two languages: Italian and English. …More
Il DVD del documentario dal titolo LORETO Il mistero della Santa Casa si può acquistare online www.mysterycollection.it/it/virtuemart.html è diponibile in due lingue Italiano e Inglese.

Buona Visione

The DVD of the documentary entitled LORETO The mystery of the Holy House, you can buy online at www.mysterycollection.it/en/virtuemart.html it is available in two languages: Italian and English.

Good Vision

El DVD del documental LORETO el misterio de la Casa Sagrada , lo puede comprar en la pagina web www.mysterycollection.it/it/virtuemart.html está disponible en dos idiomas: Italiano y Inglés.

Buena visión
Irapuato
@siloe:Merci, mon Père, pour l'information!
siloe
😘
Nous relançons le Pèlerinage sur Loreto, l'un des plus haut lieu de la Chrétienté.Conjointement avec SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO (Padre Pio) / LANCIANO (Miracle Eucharistique) / SAN ANGELO (apparitions de l'Archange St MICHEL / FOGGIA.
Du 09 au 16 juillet 2011.
Renseignements sur notre blog :lespelerinsdechretiente.over-blog.com/More
😘
Nous relançons le Pèlerinage sur Loreto, l'un des plus haut lieu de la Chrétienté.Conjointement avec SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO (Padre Pio) / LANCIANO (Miracle Eucharistique) / SAN ANGELO (apparitions de l'Archange St MICHEL / FOGGIA.
Du 09 au 16 juillet 2011.

Renseignements sur notre blog :lespelerinsdechretiente.over-blog.com/
Irapuato
Irapuato
CORRECTION: Ephesus is where Our Lady lived, AFTER, the death of Our Lord, Jesus Christ--"The House of the Virgin (Meryemana in Turkish), located in a nature park between Ephesus and Seljuk, is believed to be the last residence of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. The peaceful site is sacred to both Christians and Muslims, and is visited by many tourists and pilgrims.
History
According to predominant …More
CORRECTION: Ephesus is where Our Lady lived, AFTER, the death of Our Lord, Jesus Christ--"The House of the Virgin (Meryemana in Turkish), located in a nature park between Ephesus and Seljuk, is believed to be the last residence of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. The peaceful site is sacred to both Christians and Muslims, and is visited by many tourists and pilgrims.
History
According to predominant Christian tradition, Mary was brought to Ephesus by the Apostle John after the Resurrection of Christ and lived out her days there. This is based mainly on the traditional belief that John came to Ephesus (see St. John's Basilica) combined with the biblical statement that Jesus consigned her to John's care (John 19:26-27).
Archaeologists who have examined the building identified as the House of the Virgin believe most of the building dates from the 6th or 7th century. But its foundations are much older and may well date from the 1st century AD, the time of Mary. This site had long been a place of pilgrimage for local Orthodox Christians.
The modern history of the Virgin Mary's House is unusual. It was "discovered" in 1812 by a German nun, Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich, who never traveled away from her home.
Sister Emmerich, an invalid confined to bed, awoke in a trance with the stigmata and visions that included the Virgin Mary and Apostle John traveling from Jerusalem to Ephesus. She described Mary's house in detail, which was recorded at her bedside by a writer named Brentano.
Emmerich described a rectangular stone house, which John had built for Mary. It had a fireplace and an apse and a round back wall. The room next to the apse was Mary's bedroom, which had a spring running into it.
The German nun went on to say that the Virgin Mary died at the age of 64 and was buried in a cave near her house. When her coffin was opened soon after, however, the coffin and burial shroud were empty. The house was then turned into a chapel.
Years after Emmerich's visions, a French clergyman named Gouyet read Brentano's account and traveled to Ephesus to find the House of the Virgin. He found a house matching the nun's description and sent word to the bishops of Paris and Rome, but didn't receive much of a response.
On June 27, 1891, two Lazarist preists and two Catholic officials set out to Ephesus to see the house. They found a small chapel in ruins with a damaged statue of the Virgin.
They returned to Izmir with their report, and more priests and specialists were sent out to the site. Since 1892 the House of the Virgin has been a Catholic pilgrimage site. It was restored by 1897 and a shelter for visitors was set up.
The Meryama was later visited by Popes Paul VI and John Paul II, who confirmed its appropriateness as a place of pilgrimage. On November 29, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated mass here.
What to See
The House of the Virgin is a sacred site for both Christians and Muslims (Muslims also believe in the virgin birth and honor Mary as the mother of the Prophet Jesus).
The shrine is still in the care of the Lazarist Fathers, who celebrate Mass here every day. Two resident nuns also recite the Divine Office daily.
The small, T-shaped stone building consists of a bedroom (on the right) and a kitchen (on the left). The interior is kept simple and austere, fitted only with an altar, images of Mary and candles.
The spring that runs under the Virgin's House is believed to have healing properties, and many miracles have been reported. Inside the house are crutches and canes said to be left behind by those who were healed by the sacred spring.
The site is wheelchair accessible and provides clean public restrooms.
Festivals and Events
On August 15 (the Feast of the Assumption of Mary) each year, Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim clergy conduct a service together at the shrine, one of the rare occasions this happens anywhere.
Getting There
From both the Upper and Lower entrances to Ephesus, follow the signs to Meryemana, which is in a park and nature preserve.
Quick Facts
Site Information
Names:
House of the Virgin
Location:
Ephesus, Turkey
Faith:
Christianity
Denomination:
Catholic
Dedication:
Virgin Mary
Categories:
Catholic Shrines; Sacred Waters
Features:
Healing Site
Status:
active
Visitor Information
Address:
Orman Yolu Park, near Ephesus, Turkey
Coordinates:
37.912285° N, 27.332724° E (view on Google Maps)
Lodging:
View hotels near this location
Festival:
August 15 (Assumption of Mary)
Cost:
Admission to park and house $1.50
Services:
Mass 7:15am (10:30am on Sun)
Facilities:
Clean public toilets
Parking:
Parking lot available at the site.

Note: This information was accurate when published and we do our best to keep it updated, but details such as opening hours can change without notice. To avoid disappointment, please check with the site directly before making a special trip.
Travel Resources
Ephesus Map - our detailed interactive map of Ephesus, plus hand-picked links to more
Ephesus Hotels - check availability, maps, photos and reviews, and book at the guaranteed lowest price
Ephesus Guided Tours - sightseeing tours and activities in Ephesus
Article Sources
Article written by Holly Hayes with reference to the following sources:
Norbert C. Brockman, Encyclopedia of Sacred Places (1997).
Bernard McDonagh, Blue Guide Turkey 3rd ed. (2001), 228.
Frommer's Turkey.
Wikipedia under GFDL.
More Information
Reviews of the House of the Virgin Mary (Meryemana) – TripAdvisor traveler reviews
Ephesus Travel Forum - TripAdvisor
House of Virgin Mary – Kusadasi.biz
House of Virgin Mary - Ephesus.us

Last updated on October 18, 2009."

www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/ephesus-house-o…
2 more comments from Irapuato
Irapuato
👍 James Kilbane - Mary's House. Our Lady of Ephesus
James Kilbane - Mary's House. Our Lady of Ephesus
Irapuato
@rhemes, gregory: thak you for your messages. @rhemes: The Holy House from where these walls come, the rest of it, you will find at Ephesus.It was found, thanks to B. A.K. Emmerick! Right now I have to get ready for the 7:30 a.m. mass, so I will answer--with pleasure--more, later.
Jofichtel
Gibt es diesen Dokumentarfilm auch in deutsch?
Virgina
Sie ist unsere Mutter und unsere Schule.
An ihr können wir lernen,was Mensch, Liebe,Güte heisst.
Sie ist Wellnes für die Seelen wo krank sind,
und es hat so viele Orte,wo viele Seelen geheilt werden können!
👌 🥴 👌More
Sie ist unsere Mutter und unsere Schule.
An ihr können wir lernen,was Mensch, Liebe,Güte heisst.

Sie ist Wellnes für die Seelen wo krank sind,
und es hat so viele Orte,wo viele Seelen geheilt werden können!

👌 🥴 👌
Romania
Ich war schon einige Mal in Loreto. Es war für mich immer sehr gnadenreich. Dort spürt man die Nähe der Muttergottes.
O Maria, Muttergottes, bitte für uns. 🙏 🙏 🙏
Bibiana
Schade, die Bilder vom Heiligen Haus in Loreto sind viel zu kurz zu sehen.
Und die tönende Musik dazu gleicht den Mangel nicht aus.
Ihr Engel, verhelft uns zu einem starken Glauben!More
Schade, die Bilder vom Heiligen Haus in Loreto sind viel zu kurz zu sehen.
Und die tönende Musik dazu gleicht den Mangel nicht aus.

Ihr Engel, verhelft uns zu einem starken Glauben!
Irapuato
😉 Latina 😀
Latina
👏 👏 👏
Irapuato
Eine Loretokapelle (auch Lorettokapelle), beziehungsweise Maria Loreto ist eine Nachbildung der im italienischen Wallfahrtsort Loreto verehrten Casa santa der Heiligen Familie in Nazareth. Diese sollen der Sage nach Engel im 13. Jahrhundert von Nazareth nach Loreto überführt haben.
Loretokapellen wurden im deutschen Sprachraum ab dem 16. Jahrhundert erbaut – oft als Stiftungen adliger Pilger …More
Eine Loretokapelle (auch Lorettokapelle), beziehungsweise Maria Loreto ist eine Nachbildung der im italienischen Wallfahrtsort Loreto verehrten Casa santa der Heiligen Familie in Nazareth. Diese sollen der Sage nach Engel im 13. Jahrhundert von Nazareth nach Loreto überführt haben.
Loretokapellen wurden im deutschen Sprachraum ab dem 16. Jahrhundert erbaut – oft als Stiftungen adliger Pilger nach ihrer Rückkehr von einer Loretowallfahrt. Sie waren jedoch auch ein Mittel der Gegenreformation, und ihr Bau wurde u. a. von den Jesuiten gefördert. Nach dem Sieg der Habsburger bei der Schlacht am Weißen Berg 1620 führte ein umfassender Rekatholisierungsprozess zu der Gründung von Loreto-Wallfahrtsstätten in ganz Böhmen. Das erschien damals als geeignetes Mittel, das Interesse der böhmischen Bevölkerung an der katholischen Religion wiederzugewinnen.
Etliche der ehemaligen Kapellen sind heute als Großkirchen ausgebaut (Maria-Loretto-Kirche).
Deutschland [Bearbeiten]

Lorettokapelle in Konstanz, Gemälde von Josef Moosbrugger (1865)
Loretokapelle im Kloster Aldersbach
Loretokapelle in Bühl am Alpsee
Loretokapelle in Brenken bei Büren
Loretokapelle in Burgau (Schwaben)
Loretokapelle in Dillingen an der Donau
Loretokapelle in Drensteinfurt
Loretokapelle in Düsseldorf-Bilk (nicht mehr vorhanden)
Loretokapelle in der ehemaligen Kapuzinerkirche in Koblenz-Ehrenbreitstein
Loretokapelle in Effeldorf bei Dettelbach
Loretokapelle in Ellwangen, hinter dem Hochaltar in der Schönenbergkirche
Loretokapelle in Stätzling
Loretokapelle auf dem Lorettoberg in Freiburg im Breisgau
Loretokapelle im Kapuzinerkloster Haslach
Loretokapelle in Hirschberg an der Bergstraße
Loretokapelle in Holtum (Wegberg)
Loretokapelle auf dem Kobelberg (Kobelkirche) in Neusäß bei Augsburg
Loretokapelle mit Heiliger Stiege in Kloster Holzen, südlich der Klosterkirche
Loretokapelle Köln, als "Casa sancta" in der Kirche St. Maria in der Kupfergasse
Loretokapelle in Konstanz
Loretokapelle in Ludwigshafen-Oggersheim
Loretokirche in Berg am Laim, München
Loretokapelle in Oberstdorf
Loretokapelle im Kloster Reutberg, Chorraum der Klosterkirche
Lorettokapelle in Rohr in Niederbayern
Loretokapelle in Rosenheim
Loretokapelle in Scheer
Loretokapelle in der Klosterkirche Stühlingen/ Baden, hinter dem Altarraum
Loretokapelle in Tettnang
Loretokapelle in Tannheim
Loretokapelle in Thyrnau
Lorettokapelle in Villingen-Schwenningen Ortsteil Villingen
Loretokapelle in der Kapelle Klein-Jerusalem in Willich-Neersen
Frankreich [Bearbeiten]
Notre-Dame-de-Lorette in Paris
Lorettokapelle bei der Abtei Murbach/ Elsass
Italien [Bearbeiten]
Basilika Maria Loretto in Loreto (Marken), Italien
Südtirol:
Loretokapelle in Maria Saalen bei St. Lorenzen
Loretokapelle in Klausen
Loretokapelle in Winnebach
Niederlande [Bearbeiten]
Loretokapelle in Thorn/Limburg
Österreich [Bearbeiten]
Burgenland
Basilika Maria Loretto mit Loretto-Kapelle im Kreuzgang in Loretto
Kärnten
Lorettokapelle, Klagenfurt
Loretokapelle im Stift Millstatt
Kapelle im Schloss Maria-Loretto am Wörthersee
Wallfahrtskirche Maria Loreto (St. Andrä)
Steiermark
Lorettokapelle im Augustiner-Chorherrenstift Vorau
Lorettokapelle im Schloss Festenburg in Sankt Lorenzen am Wechsel
Loretokapelle bei der Burg Oberkapfenberg in Kapfenberg
Loretokirche (Gutenberg an der Raabklamm)
Tirol
Lorettokapelle in Thaur
Vorarlberg
Loretokapelle in der Liebfrauenbergkirche in Rankweil
Loretokapelle in Lustenau
Wien
Lorettokapelle in der Augustiner-Hofkirche in Wien 1
Maria-Loretto-Kirche, Pfarrkirche Jedlesee, Wien
Polen [Bearbeiten]
Loretokapelle in Leubus
Loretokapelle in Oberglogau in Oberschlesien
Schweiz [Bearbeiten]

Loretokapelle Solothurn
Loretokapelle Biberegg bei Rothenthurm SZ
Loretokapelle in Freiburg im Üechtland
Loretokapelle in der Wallfahrtskirche Hergiswald oberhalb von Kriens
Loretokapelle auf dem Achenberg bei Klingnau
Lorettokapelle in Kloster Muri in Aargau
Loretokapelle bei Leibstadt
Loretokapelle in Tuggen
Loretokapelle in Solothurn. Gespendet nach dem Dreissigjährigen Krieg 1648 durch Schultheiss Johann Schwaller, auch aus Dankbarkeit für die Verschonung der Stadt davor. Ausgestattet mit einer schwarzen Madonna.
Loretokapelle in Lichtensteig (Toggenburg)
Loretokapelle in Mägenwil
Loretokapelle im Kloster Muri, seit 1970 mit Habsburgergruft im Kreuzgang der Klosterkirche.
Slowakei [Bearbeiten]
Loretokapelle in der Franziskanerkirche in Bratislava
Tschechien [Bearbeiten]
Maria Loreto, Wallfahrtsstätte in Starý Hrozňatov bei Cheb
Loretokapelle in Mikulov
Wallfahrtsstätte am Loretoplatz in der Hradschin-Vorstadt in Prag
Loretokapelle in Hájek bei Prag
Loretokapelle in der Minoritenkirche in Brünn
Loretokapelle in Rumburk
Loretokapelle im ehemaligen Augustiner-Kloster in Böhmisch Leipa
Siehe auch [Bearbeiten]
Lorettohöhe, Lorettoberg, Liste Schwarzer Madonnen
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loretokapelle
Irapuato
10 décembre TRANSLATION de la MAISON de la SAINTE FAMILLE
À LORETTE
(1291 et 1294)
La nouvelle terrible que la Terre Sainte était perdue pour les chrétiens répandit une profonde tristesse dans toute l'Église; mais en même temps une autre nouvelle vint consoler les âmes chrétiennes: la sainte Maison de Nazareth, où la Vierge Marie avait conçu le Verbe fait chair, avait été transportée par les …More
10 décembre TRANSLATION de la MAISON de la SAINTE FAMILLE
À LORETTE
(1291 et 1294)
La nouvelle terrible que la Terre Sainte était perdue pour les chrétiens répandit une profonde tristesse dans toute l'Église; mais en même temps une autre nouvelle vint consoler les âmes chrétiennes: la sainte Maison de Nazareth, où la Vierge Marie avait conçu le Verbe fait chair, avait été transportée par les Anges en Dalmatie.
Au lever de l'aurore, les habitants du pays ne remarquèrent pas sans étonnement un nouvel édifice qui reposait sur la terre sans fondements, et attestait, par sa forme, une origine étrangère. Quel pouvait être ce monument? Pendant que l'on s'interrogeait avec curiosité, Marie apportait Elle-même du Ciel la réponse à l'évêque du diocèse qui, gravement malade, demandait au Ciel sa guérison pour aller voir le prodige: "Mon fils, lui dit Marie en lui apparaissant, cette maison est la maison de Nazareth où a été conçu le Fils de Dieu. Ta guérison fera foi du prodige."
Trois ans plus tard, la sainte Maison, portée par les mains des Anges, s'éleva de nouveau dans les airs et disparut aux yeux du peuple désolé, le 10 décembre 1294. Or, le lendemain matin, les habitants de Récanati, en Italie, voyaient sur la montagne voisine de Lorette une maison inconnue, à l'aspect extraordinaire. On eut bientôt constaté que cette maison était celle de Nazareth, que les habitants de la Dalmatie avaient vue soudain disparaître dans le même temps. De là un concours immense de peuples.
Au XIVè siècle, un temple magnifique fut bâti pour garder la maison miraculeuse. Ce temple existe encore et voit chaque jour de nombreux pèlerins de toutes les parties du monde. Que ne dit pas au coeur du chrétien ce monument vénérable! Combien il rappelle de mystères! Combien il a vu de merveilles de sainteté! Combien sa présence à Lorette et son existence aujourd'hui supposent de miracles! Le pèlerin aime à se dire: "Là pria Marie, là travailla Joseph, là vécut Jésus!" Il aime à baiser un objet de bien peu de valeur par lui-même, mais plus précieux que tous les trésors, par les souvenirs qui y sont attachés: on l'appelle la sainte Écuelle; c'est le petit vase de terre où le Sauveur, dit la tradition, prenait Sa nourriture.
Abbé L. Jaud, Vie des Saints pour tous les jours de l'année, Tours, Mame, 1950.
www.magnificat.ca/cal/fran/12-10.htm
4 more comments from Irapuato
Irapuato
Loreto: El misterio de la Santa Casa
Una encuesta realizada en un documental exclusivo sobre los misterios del cristianismo es más fascinantes y controvertidos. ¿Cómo fue la Santa Casa de la Virgen María, transportada desde su ubicación original en Nazaret, Palestina, la ciudad de Loreto en la costa del Adriático en Italia?
jansonmedia
grm.to/91UOgw
Irapuato
December 10 TRANSLATIONof the HOLY HOUSE of LORETO
(1291, 1294)
Towards the end of the thirteenth century, the terrible news reached Europe that the Holy Land was lost to the Christians, who during two centuries had been able to maintain the Latin kingdom there by virtue of their repeated Crusades. But at the time the Church was deploring this painful loss, a new joy was given them: the holy house …More
December 10 TRANSLATIONof the HOLY HOUSE of LORETO
(1291, 1294)
Towards the end of the thirteenth century, the terrible news reached Europe that the Holy Land was lost to the Christians, who during two centuries had been able to maintain the Latin kingdom there by virtue of their repeated Crusades. But at the time the Church was deploring this painful loss, a new joy was given them: the holy house of Nazareth — site of the birth of the Mother of God, of Her early education and of the Annunciation by the Angel Gabriel of the wondrous news of the Incarnation of the Son of God — had been found, transported miraculously, near Tersatz in Dalmatia (Yugoslavia) on May 10th of the year 1291. Between Tersatz and nearby Fiume, the residents of the region beheld one morning an edifice, in a location where never had any been seen before. After the residents of the region talked among themselves of the remarkable little house surmounted by a bell tower, and which stood without foundations on the bare ground, describing its altar, an ancient statue of Our Lady, and other religious objects which their wondering eyes had seen within it, another surprise came to astound them once more.
Their bishop suddenly appeared in their midst, cured from a lingering illness which had kept him bedridden for several months. He had prayed to be able to go see the prodigy for himself, and the Mother of God had appeared to him, saying, in substance: “My son, you called Me; I am here to give you powerful assistance and reveal to you the secret you desire to know. The holy dwelling is the very house where I was born... It is there that when the announcement was brought by the Archangel Gabriel, I conceived the divine Child by the operation of the Holy Spirit. It is there that the Word was made flesh! After My decease, the Apostles consecrated this dwelling, illustrated by such elevated mysteries, and sought the honor of celebrating the August Sacrifice there. The altar is the very one which the Apostle Saint Peter placed there. The crucifix was introduced by the Apostles, and the cedar statue is My faithful image, made by the hand of the Evangelist Saint Luke... Your sudden return to health from so long an illness will bear witness to this prodigy.” Nicolas Frangipane, governor of the territory of Ancona, was absent, but when the news was carried to him, he returned from a war in order to verify its authenticity. He sent to Nazareth, at the eastern limits of the Mediterranean Sea, the bishop and three other persons, to examine the original site of the house. Indeed the house was no longer there, but its foundations remained and were found conformable in every detail of dimension and substance, to the stones at the base of the house now in Dalmatia. The testimony of the delegates was drafted according to legal formalities, and confirmed by a solemn oath.
Then, after three years spent in Dalmatia, the house disappeared. Paul Della Selva, a holy hermit of that period and of the region of Ancona, wrote: “During the night of December 10th, a light from heaven became visible to several inhabitants of the shores of the Adriatic Sea, and a divine harmony woke them that they might contemplate a marvel exceeding all the forces of nature. They saw and contemplated a house, surrounded by heavenly splendor, transported through the air.” The angelic burden was brought to rest in a forest, where again the local residents were able to contemplate the signal relics which it contained. The antique Greek crucifix mentioned by Our Lady was made of wood, and attached to it was a canvas on which the words Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, were painted. The cedar statue of the Virgin had been painted also; she wore a red robe and a blue cloak and held the Infant Jesus in Her arms. His right hand was raised in blessing; His left hand held a globe, symbol of His sovereign power.
The story was far from ended. The house moved again, after robbers began to intercept pilgrims coming through the forest to visit the marvel. Twice more it rose from its place, the first time coming to rest on a private terrain, which became then a source of dispute between two brothers; and finally on a hilltop where a dusty and uneven public road became its permanent site. For centuries the people of Dalmatia came across the sea on pilgrimage, often crying out to Our Lady and Her House to come back to them! Finally in 1559, after one such visit by 300 pilgrims, the Sovereign Pontiff had a hospice built at Loreto for families who preferred to remain near the house, rather than return to a land deprived of its sacred presence.
The reddish-black stones of the house are a sort entirely foreign to Italy; the mortar cementing them is again entirely different from the volcanic-ash-based substance used in that country. The residents of the region put up a heavy brick wall to support the house, which was exposed to the torrential rains and winds of the hilltop and was completely without foundation. But no sooner was that wall completed, than they came back one morning to find it had moved away from the house, as if to express its reverence, to a distance which permitted a small child to walk around it with a torch in hand. The Author of the miracle wanted it to be well understood that He who had brought it without human assistance, was capable also of maintaining it there where He had placed it, without human concourse.
The episodes concerning the Translation of the Holy House, all duly verified, were consigned in documents borne to Rome to the Sovereign Pontiffs at various epochs. Pope Sixtus IV declared that the house was the property of the Holy See, and assigned duties to a specified personnel named to be its custodians. By Pope Leo X the indulgence applicable to the visit of several churches of Rome was accorded also to a pilgrimage to Loreto. Eventually a magnificent basilica was built around the house, which within the basilica was itself enhanced by a white marble edicule. Pope Clement IX in 1667, placed the story of the House in the Roman Martyrology for the 10th of December under the title: At Loreto, in the territory of Ancona, translation of the Holy House of Mary, Mother of God, in which the Word was made flesh. Pope Benedict XIV, a prodigious scholar before he became Pope, established the identity of the house with that of Nazareth, against its detractors, and later worked for the embellishment of the August sanctuary. The feast of Our Lady of Loreto is observed in many provinces of the Church, inscribed in the Proper of their dioceses by their bishops.
Sources: Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, by Msgr. Paul Guérin (Bloud et Barral: Paris, 1882), Vol. 14; Magnificat magazine, Vol. XXIX, no. 12, December 1994, pp. 260-264 (Magnificat: Saint Jovite, 1994); La Sainte Maison de la Sainte Vierge, by a priest of Montreal (Librairie Saint Joseph: Montreal, 1895).
www.magnificat.ca/cal/engl/12-10.htm
Irapuato
Beata Vergine Maria di Loreto
10 dicembre
Iniziamo questa scheda riportando una riflessione di papa Giovanni Paolo II, riferendosi alla Santa Casa di Loreto: “Quello Lauretano è un Santuario mirabile. In esso è inscritta la trentennale esperienza di condivisione, che Gesù fece con Maria e Giuseppe. Attraverso questo mistero umano e divino, nella casa di Nazaret è come inscritta la storia di tutti …More
Beata Vergine Maria di Loreto
10 dicembre

Iniziamo questa scheda riportando una riflessione di papa Giovanni Paolo II, riferendosi alla Santa Casa di Loreto: “Quello Lauretano è un Santuario mirabile. In esso è inscritta la trentennale esperienza di condivisione, che Gesù fece con Maria e Giuseppe. Attraverso questo mistero umano e divino, nella casa di Nazaret è come inscritta la storia di tutti gli uomini, poiché ogni uomo è legato ad una ‘casa’, dove nasce, lavora, riposa, incontra gli altri e la storia di ogni uomo, è segnata in modo particolare da una casa: la casa della sua infanzia, dei suoi primi passi nella vita.
Ed è eloquente ed importante per tutti che quest’Uomo unico e singolare, che è il Figlio unigenito di Dio, abbia pure voluto legare la sua storia ad una casa, quella di Nazaret, che secondo il racconto evangelico, ospitò Gesù di Nazaret lungo l’intero arco della sua infanzia, adolescenza e giovinezza, cioè della sua misteriosa maturazione umana… La casa del Figlio dell’uomo è dunque la casa universale di tutti i figli adottivi di Dio. La storia di ogni uomo, in un certo senso, passa attraverso quella casa…”.
A partire da papa Clemente V che con una bolla del 18 luglio 1310 confermò indirettamente l’autenticità della Santa Casa, i papi nei secoli successivi confermarono nuovamente la loro devozione alla Vergine Lauretana, specie in drammatiche circostanze.
Ma le origini dell’antica e devota tradizione della traslazione della Casa dalla Palestina a Loreto, risalgono al 1296, quando in una visione, ne era stata indicata l’esistenza e l’autenticità ad un eremita, fra’ Paolo della Selva e da lui riferita alle Autorità.
Ciò ci è narrato da una cronaca del 1465, redatta da Pier Giorgio di Tolomei, detto il Teramano, che a sua volta l’aveva desunta da una vecchia ‘tabula’ consumata, risalente al 1300. Si riportano alcuni passi più significativi, che poi sono stati tramandati nelle narrazioni, più o meno arricchite nei secoli successivi; “L’alma chiesa di santa Maria di Loreto fu camera della casa della gloriosissima Madre del nostro Signore Gesù Cristo… La quale casa fu in una città della Galilea, chiamata Nazaret.
E in detta casa nacque la Vergine Maria, qui fu allevata e poi dall’Angelo Gabriele salutata; e finalmente nella stessa camera nutrì Gesù Cristo suo figliuolo… Quindi gli apostoli e discepoli consacrarono quella camera in chiesa, ivi celebrando i divini misteri…
Ma dopo che quel popolo di Galilea e di Nazaret abbandonò la fede in Cristo e accettò la fede di Maometto, allora gli Angeli levarono dal suo posto la predetta chiesa e la trasportarono nella Schiavonia, posandola presso un castello chiamato Fiume (1291).
Ma lì non fu affatto onorata come si conveniva alla Vergine… Perciò da quel luogo la tolsero nuovamente gli Angeli e la portarono attraverso il mare, nel territorio di Recanati (1294) e la posero in una selva di cui era padrona una gentildonna chiamata Loreta; da qui prese il nome la chiesa: ‘Santa Maria di Loreta…”.
Per il gran numero di gente, purtroppo succedevano anche ladrocini e violenze, per cui continua il racconto, gli Angeli la spostarono altre due volte, sempre per gli stessi motivi, depositandola alla fine sul colle, nella notte del 9-10 dicembre 1294, dove si trova attualmente.
“Allora accorse tutto il popolo di Recanati a vedere la detta chiesa, che stava sopra la terra senza alcun fondamento. Per la qual cosa, il popolo considerando così gran miracolo e temendo che detta chiesa non venisse a rovina, la fecero circondare da un altro ben grosso muro e di buonissimo fondamento, come ancor oggi chiaramente si vede”.
Questo il racconto del 1465; che si fonda sull’aspetto storico dell’epoca, quando i rapporti culturali e religiosi delle comunità insediate sulle due sponde dell’Adriatico, erano intensi, per l’attraversamento delle navi veneziane e poi di quelle di Ancona e dell’attuale Dubrovnik, che trasportavano i pellegrini ai Luoghi Santi della Palestina.
Sullo sfondo vi è la conquista della Terra Santa da parte dei mamelucchi e poi la lenta penetrazione degli ottomani nella penisola balcanica, dopo la caduta di Costantinopoli.
Da questi eventi scaturirono le Crociate, per liberare i popoli ed i paesi dall’occupazione araba e secondo la tradizione, gli Angeli intervennero per mettere in salvo la casa della Vergine, già trasformata in chiesa sin dai tempi apostolici.
Da allora moltitudini di fedeli si sono recati in pellegrinaggio al grandioso santuario, che racchiude la Santa Casa, iniziato a costruire nel 1468 da papa Paolo II, in breve diventò ed è, secondo una felice definizione di papa Giovanni Paolo II, “cuore mariano della cristianità”.
Fin dall’inizio del Trecento fu già meta di pellegrinaggio, anche per quanti prendendo la strada costiera, erano diretti a S. Michele al Gargano oppure in Terrasanta; il flusso nei secoli XV e XVI diventò enorme, fino ad indurre nel 1520 papa Leone X ad equiparare il voto dei pellegrini del Santuario di Loreto a quello di Gerusalemme, che già man mano Loreto aveva sostituito nelle punte dei grandi pellegrinaggi penitenziali, che vedevano Roma, Santiago di Compostella, Gerusalemme.
Il prodigio eclatante della traslazione della Santa Casa attirò anche, a partire dal secolo XV, la peregrinazione di re e regine, principi, cardinali e papi, che lasciarono doni o ex voto per grazie ricevute; a loro si aggiunsero nei tempi successivi, condottieri, poeti, scrittori, inventori, fondatori di Ordini religiosi, filosofi, artisti, futuri santi e beati.
Grandi architetti furono chiamati a progettare e realizzare le opere edili, che costituiscono il grandioso complesso del santuario, che sorto come chiesa dalle linee goticheggianti, su progetti degli architetti Marino di Marco Cedrino e Giuliano da Maiano; venne poi per necessità di difesa dai pirati, che infierivano sui centri costieri, munita di un cammino di ronda e di stanze per i soldati, ad opera di Baccio Pontelli; ma non fu sufficiente, perché papa Leone X (1475-1521) fece erigere una cinta fortificata intorno al complesso, che divenne in pratica un vero e proprio castello.
Nel frattempo intorno al Santuario, sempre più frequentato dai pellegrini, sorse un borgo che fu chiamato Villa Santa Maria e che in seguito nel 1586 papa Sisto V promosse a sede vescovile.
L’interno del Santuario ebbe varie trasformazioni a cui lavorarono insigni artisti, come Giuliano da Sangallo che innalzò la solenne cupola, Giorgio Marini, il Bramante, il Sansovino, Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane, Luigi Vanvitelli.
Per la facciata nel 1571 lavorò Giovanni Boccalini da Carpi e nel 1587 Giovan Battista Chioldi. Come pittori portarono la loro arte, per citarne alcuni, Melozzo da Forlì, Luca Signorelli, Lorenzo Lotto, Cristofaro Pomarancio, ecc.
L’interno attuale del Santuario è a croce latina a tre navate, ospita sotto la grande cupola la Santa Casa, letteralmente coperta da un rivestimento marmoreo, arricchito da statue e bassorilievi raffiguranti sibille e profeti e narranti otto storie della vita di Maria, oltre a rilievi bronzei narranti alcuni episodi della vita di Gesù.
Un incendio nel 1921, sviluppatosi all’interno della Santa Casa, la danneggiò gravemente, distruggendo anche la venerata immagine lignea della Madonna, attualmente sostituita da una copia, riccamente vestita e con il volto nero dell’originale, scurito dal fumo delle lampade.
La raccolta religiosità dell’interno, ben specifica e fa immaginare la semplice vita di Maria, di Gesù e di Giuseppe, nella Palestina di allora, tutto invita alla preghiera ed al raccoglimento. Trent’anni dopo la costruzione della chiesa, incominciò quella del Palazzo Apostolico, che occupa uno dei lati della piazza della Chiesa e in cui sono conservati capolavori d’arte di ogni genere, compresi gli arazzi, porcellane e tavolette votive, costituenti il tesoro della Santa Casa, donato nei secoli da tanti devoti.
Oltre 50 papi si sono recati in pellegrinaggio a Loreto e sempre è stata grande la loro devozione; alla Vergine si rivolsero i papi Pio II e Paolo II per guarire miracolosamente dalle loro gravi malattie; papa Benedetto XV (1914-1922) in considerazione della traslazione della sua Casa, dalla Palestina a Fiume e poi a Loreto, la proclamò patrona degli aviatori.
Loreto è considerata la Lourdes italiana e tanti pellegrinaggi di malati vengono organizzati ogni anno, con cerimonie collettive come quelle di Lourdes; aggiungo una mia piccola esperienza personale, in ambedue i luoghi sacri a Maria, ho sentito improvvisamente la necessità di piangere, come se avvertissi la spiritualità nei due ambienti permeati della sua presenza.
Innumerevoli sono i luoghi pii, chiese, ospedali o di assistenza, come pure delle Congregazioni religiose, intitolati al nome della Vergine di Loreto, il suo nome cambiato in Loredana è fra i più diffusi fra le donne; infine come non ricordare le “Litanie Lauretane” che dal XII secolo sono divenute una vera e propria orazione alla Vergine, incentrata sui titoli che in ogni tempo le sono stati tributati, anche con riferimenti biblici. Le “Litanie Lauretane” sostituirono nella cristianità, quelle denominate ‘veneziane’ (in uso nella basilica di S. Marco e originarie di Aquileia) e quelle ‘deprecatorie’ (ossia di supplica, originarie della Germania).
La celebrazione liturgica nella Chiesa Cattolica è al 10 dicembre, in ricordo della data dell’arrivo della Santa Casa a Loreto.

Autore: Antonio Borrelli
Irapuato
An exclusive documentary investigation into one of the most fascinating and controversial mysteries of Christianity. How was the Holy House of the Virgin Mary transported from its original location in Nazareth, Palestine, to the town of Loreto on Italy’s Adriatic coast?
ORDER DIRECT FROM JANSON MEDIA