Sanctuary of Madonna di Loreto

Site overview

The chapel was erected in 1618, based on the model of the Holy House of Loreto in the Marche region, following the impulse of the Jesuits, the Savoy-Este (lords of Lanzo), and the local population. Under the auspices of the daughter of Carlo Emanuele I, Margherita of Savoy, Duchess of Mantua, who laid the first stone, the construction was completed in just three months by the inhabitants of Lanzo and neighboring municipalities. It was soon completed with a covered ambulatory and a solemn Baroque facade. Next to the chapel stands a tall and massive tower, whose original function is not entirely clear. Since the mid-nineteenth century, the site has been cared for by the Abbadia della Madonna di Loreto, which also organizes the annual festival at the beginning of September. Since 2007, the site has housed a significant example of contemporary art: a Via Crucis (Way of the Cross), which had adorned the chapel of the Salesian College of Lanzo since 1964, interpreted by the sculptor Carlo Rapp from Verbania.