The name of one of Prague's most famous monasteries, Loreto, is closely associated with the House of Our Lady, which is now located in Italy. The hut where the Virgin Mary lived was dismantled and brought from Palestine to the Italian town of Loreto, which became a holy place for many believers. During the Middle Ages, people believed that the hut had travelled to Italy by itself. Among those who came to worship this shrine were Czechs. Around the same time, it became fashionable to recreate similar huts in various European cities. Thus, a copy of the Virgin Mary's House appeared in Prague. The Italian sculptor D.B. Orsini worked on the marble chapel of Santa Casa, which is an exact replica of the Hut of the Virgin Mary. Inside there is a silver altar, and the walls are decorated with frescoes preserved from the 17th century.
This chapel is considered the heart of the Loreto monastery. All the other buildings were built around it.
Next to the chapel is the Church of the Nativity, built in the Baroque style. This church houses the relics of the martyrs Felicissimus and Marcia. The bells on the tower of the church were created at the end of the 17th century in Amsterdam and are still used by the monastic brotherhood.
After visiting the chapel and the main church, as well as looking into the well right in the centre of the courtyard of the Loreto, one should go to the first floor of the gallery that girdles the courtyard. There you will find the monastery treasury, the main exhibit of which is the diamond-studded "Prague Sun" gift bearer.
Before leaving the monastery, there is a chapel with a sculpture of the crucified Vilgefortis. She is considered the patron saint of wives who are unhappily married.
