The Sanctuary of the Madonna of Loreto is located at the end of the street of the same name – via Loreto – near the Porta di San Matteo gate, also known as the ‘Loreto Gate’. On this site in 1537, the young Spoletan Jacopo Spinelli erected a Maestà (Majesty) inside a beautiful reproduction of Mary’s house in Nazareth. The actual decorative painting, a fresco depicting the Madonna and saints Sebatian and Anthony, was entrusted to the artist Jacopo Santoro da Giuliana, known as Jacopo Siculo. Tradition holds that the painting was not completed by the artists but by divine intervention and therefore it immediately became the object of adoration by the people. During an earthquake in Spoleto in 1571, the people prayed to the Madonna to stop the tremors. Locals claimed that many of the faithful standing in front of the painting on that occasion saw the Madonna look down onto those present. It was then decided to build an imposing structure to preserve and protect the sacred image and make the road leading to it more important by building the large gate. The building of the modern church began in 1572 based on a design by Annibale dè Lippidi Firenze. The church has a simple but elegant façade, with two orders separated by a projecting cornice, and is decorated with pilasters surmounted by a smooth frieze. The upper part is embellished by a large tympanum and a round arch that frames the central window. The elaborate entrance door was added later in 1662. The large interior, in the form of a Greek cross, is elegantly furnished in a refined Renaissance style. Various works of art are preserved there, including paintings and sculptures from the 17th century, and in the center stands Spinelli’s beautiful Majesty.
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