Loreto, Marche

Comune in Marche, Italy

Coat of arms

Location of Loreto

43°26′20″N 13°36′31″E / 43.43889°N 13.60861°E / 43.43889; 13.60861CountryItalyRegionMarcheProvinceAncona (AN)FrazioniCostabianca, Grotte, Stazione, Villa Berghigna, Villa Costantina, Villa Musone, Villa PapaGovernment

• MayorPaolo NiccolettiArea

^[1]

• Total17.69 km² (6.83 sq mi)Elevation

127 m (417 ft)Population

(28 February 2009)^[2]

• Total12,278 • Density690/km² (1,800/sq mi)DemonymLoretani or LauretaniTime zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal code

60025

Dialing code071Patron saintBirth of the Blessed Virgin MarySaint day10 DecemberWebsiteOfficial website

Loreto (/ləˈrɛtoʊ/ lə-RET-oh,^[3] US also /ləˈreɪtoʊ/ lə-RAY-toh,^[4] Italian: [loˈreːto]) is a hill town and comune of the Italian province of Ancona, in the Marche. It is most commonly known as the seat of the Basilica della Santa Casa, a popular Catholic pilgrimage site.

Location

Loreto is located 127 meters (417 feet) above sea level on the right bank of the Musone river and 22 kilometers (14 miles) by rail south-southeast of Ancona; like many places in the Marche, it provides good views from the Apennines to the Adriatic.

Main sights

The city's main monuments occupy the four sides of the piazza: the college of the Jesuits; the Palazzo Comunale (formerly the Palazzo Apostolico), designed by Bramante, that houses an art gallery with works of Lorenzo Lotto, Vouet and Annibale Carracci as well as a collection of maiolica, and the Shrine of the Holy House (Santuario della Santa Casa). It also boasts a massive line of walls, designed by the architect (and military engineer) Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, which were erected from 1518 and reinforced in the 17th century.

Gallery

The Basilica della Santa Casa from behind
The Basilica della Santa Casa

Twin towns and sister cities

Loreto is twinned with:^[5]

References

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Loreto (Italy)". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 7.

Notes

^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
^ "Loreto". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2020-03-02.
^ "Loreto". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Association of Towns awarded The Europe Prize". www.czestochowa.um.gov.pl. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
^ "Fraternitas 33 – eng". www.ofm.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
^ "Nazareth and Loreto – Twin Shrines". www.loretonh.nsw.edu.au. Archived from the original on 2009-09-30. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
^ "Comune di Loreto – Loreto – Daroun Harissa – Accordo di gemellaggio". Comune.loreto.an.it. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
^ "Għajnsielem twins with Loreto, Italy". www.timesofmalta.com. Retrieved 2022-08-28.