The Feast of Our Lady of Loreto

In 1291, Crusaders lost their final stronghold in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Christians haven't controlled the Holy Land since. Fortunately, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus's old stone house in Nazareth — the first Church in all of Christendom, immediately and ever since a great site of pilgrimage — managed to escape.

Four angels (or, in a less poetic telling, members of a family called Angelo) carried the Holy House to Europe, where Christians could still visit. Initially, it went to Croatia, where it attracted an apparition of the Virgin Mary, then flew across Italy, making four stops along the way. Today, three stone walls, making a space of 31 feet by 13, are preserved in the small city of Loreto, inside the Basilica della Santa Casa.

Made possible by patrons.