The Loreto

A Marian pilgrimage place with a copy of the Italian Santa Casa, including also the baroque Nativity Church.

The ground is encircled by a cloister and chapels. Loreto Palace was named after the town of Loreto, Italy, where the dwelling of the Virgin Mary was said to have been brought by angels from Palestine in the 13th century.

The Loreto (Loreta) was built during the 17th century (1626) at the order of Katerina of Lobkowicz, in the times of Ferdinand II, as part of the Catholic campaign to attract the Czechs back to Catholicism.

The spire houses a carillon which consist of 30 Loreta bells which tune a Marian song We Greet You a Thousand Times (every hour from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.). The Loreto bells have been playing on the hour since 15 August 1695, so if you happen to be there in time you can hear them play. The carillon can be used as a distinguished musical instrument, from where on special occasions famous musical fragments are played.

The most valuable item of the liturgical treasury is the so-called Loreta Treasure, a collection of sacral object from the 16th to 18th centuries. It consists of monstrances, cups, altars and other votive objects. The most famous of these is the Diamond Monstrance called "Prague Sun" adorned with 6 222 diamonds. The oldest item of the Loreta Treasure is a Gothic cup from 1510.

Today, Loreta is managed by the Capuchins from the neighbouring monastery. Its grounds are open to the public - we can see the actual Holy House, walk through the cloisters, and visit the pilgrimage church and the treasures of the Loretan treasury. If we time the visit right, the lovely sound of Loretan bells will ring above our heads ...