The Holy House of LoretoDecember 30, 2024Whenever you hear about a miracle, or perhaps fortunately experience one, the first thing that might come to mind, aside from the event itself, is to attribute it to Divine Intervention. In past articles I have written about miracles; the Shroud of Turin, the Two Michaels - One a Saint and One a Soldier, and the Miracle of Loreto Chapel. This is the story of another miraculous event, believe it or not. The Holy House of the Virgin Mary was the home of the Mother of Jesus Christ. Aside from its most favored origin, what is it that makes it an outstanding event? Are there unusual manifestations, strange occurrences, supernatural or unearthly phenomena, some of the signs that would have us believe a miracle has taken place? In the Gospel of St. Luke, it is written how the Angel Gabriel was sent to the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to the home of a virgin, betrothed to a man named Joseph. The house was the home of the Virgin Mary, and is where the Annunciation and Incarnation of Christ took place, and where the Holy Family would eventually reside. Following Caesar Augustus’ decree for a census of the entire Roman world, and their flight into Egypt to escape Herod’s reaches in Bethlehem, Mary, Joseph and the child returned to Nazareth and the Holy House became their home. The hill town of Loreto is located in the Province of Piceno in central Italy on the shores of the Adriatic Sea hundreds of miles from Nazareth. Through some remarkable event, the Holy House now resides in Loreto. It has been a pilgrimage destination for the faithful since its discovery there eight centuries ago. It is made of mortar and stone and encased in elaborately etched marble and now stands beneath the Basilica of the Annunciation, which was built over it during the Renaissance. The House itself is now a chapel, with a stone altar and ancient holy relics. In his book “The House of the Virgin Mary,” author Godfrey Phillips describes the “Miraculous Story of its Journey from Nazareth to several other locations and eventually a Hillside in Italy. The blessed house having been wonderfully “translated” long ago by the ministry of Angels from the Holy Land of Palestine, first into Dalmatia, and thence into the territory of Loreto, and deposited into the very bosom of the Catholic Church,” which is where it stands today beneath a cathedral. The belief among the Catholic Church, its hierarchy, three popes, and the faithful, is that Mary’s house was taken up by angels and relocated several times, until it found its permanent home in Loreto. Etchings on the walls of the Holy House depict angels carrying it to its home. There are accounts that this transition occurred sometime around December of 1294, which is now celebrated as the Feast of Our Lady of Loreto. There are accounts of miraculous happenings having taken place. Disbelievers and skeptics suggest it was dismantled and transported across the Mediterranean Sea by Crusaders, but there is no record of this. There are also some who think it was built in Loreto, but the original mortar and stone, which is the material it consists of today, are not indigenous to Italy. And the stones making up the walls were not cut according to local Italian methods. However, those who question this as a miraculous event, and the relocation of the Holy House, cannot explain how according to accounts, the House first existed in Nazareth and is no longer there. It is understandable that to accept this as a miracle, as many throughout the world believe, is difficult to conceive. To believe that the Holy House was transported on the wings of angels to where it stands to this day in Loreto, Italy, like most miraculous and supernatural events, takes deep belief in God and faith.
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