Historical Description

Devotion to the Virgin of Loreto was introduced to New Spain in the 17th century by Father Juan Bautista Zappa. This small chapel is a reproduction of the house where, according to Catholic tradition, the Virgin Mary lived in the city of Ephesus. Legend holds that when the Turks were about to invade the city, angels carried the house to Loreto, Italy.

Aesthetic Description

The altarpiece in the House of Loreto was created in the 18th century. In its central niche stands a sculpture of the Virgin of Loreto, brought from Europe in the 17th century. The oil paintings on canvas displayed on the house’s walls, by unknown artists, depict the miraculous transportation of the Virgin Mary’s house by angels from Ephesus to Loreto.