I visited the Holy House of Loreto in Italy. According to ancient tradition, the Holy House--that of Mary and Jesus, where the Word of God became flesh--arrived by sky or sea, we don't know, on the hill of Loreto at the end of the 13th century. It reached Loreto, Italy after a brief stay at Tersato, Dalmatia, 1291, and landed 1294 at a location called Recanati (today's Loreto) in a wooded area belonging to a nobleman named Loreta. The dimensions of the House of Loreto are identical to those of the House of the Holy Family that is missing from its enshrinement place at the Nazareth Basilica. Bas-reliefs of the 16th c suggest transport of the Holy House by sea. The Church of St. Mary of Loreto was first mentioned in 1315. Construction of a large church is cited in 1468. In 1586, Loreto was granted city status and the church was raised to a cathedral, only to become a basilica in 1728. It has been an episcopal cathedral since 1965.
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.