LORETO SANCTUARY, Sanctuary

The Baroque façade of the Loreto Sanctuary was begun by Christoph Dientzenhofer and completed by his son. The two side niches are decorated with statues of the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Gabriel, celebrating the Annunciation, and below them are the statues of the Evangelists. The entrance is surrounded by Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Francis of Assisi, and the original balcony by Saint Joseph and Saint John the Baptist.

On the railings around the forecourt, also designed by the Dientzenhofers, there are 19 sculptures of angels, nine of which tell the story of Mary’s life. The white and gold façade is topped by a small central tower, at the sides of which are twin façades. The small copper cupolas and the red tiles offer further touches of color.

The outer appearance of the building gives little indication of the complexity of the interior. The sanctuary is made up of a large courtyard with a portico, erected around the reproduction of the Holy House of Loreto, the small building in the center covered in bas-reliefs dedicated to Mary. At the sides, you can admire two Baroque fountains.

Along the porticoes of the cloister, there are numerous chapels you can visit, while behind the Holy House is the magnificent Church of the Nativity, the last building of the complex, also built by the Dientzenhofers between 1722 and 1737 as an extension of the Chapel of Saint Anne. The splendid frescoes above the inner courtyard are by Václav Vavřinec....