Church of Santa Maria di Loreto

The Church of Santa Maria di Loreto is a beautiful church located in Piazza Venezia, in Rome, close to the Trajan’s Column and the Forum of Trajan.

SHORT HISTORY

In 1500, the Congregation of Bakers (Congregazione dei Fornai) obtained from Pope Alexander VI a small chapel, which was demolished to build the current church. The works, based on a project by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, were started in 1507. The dome of the church was built by Giacomo del Duca in 1582.

In the 19th century, the church was restored by Luca Carimini, and completed with a presbytery by Giuseppe Sacconi, the architect of the nearby National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE

The architecture of the church is characterized by pilasters in travertine that stand out on the brick walls, and is notable for the beauty of its proportions. The project is characterized by simple overlapping volumes – the body of the church with a square plan, surmounted by the octagonal volume of the drum, on which is placed the dome. At the top of the dome, we can find the lantern, with a very elaborate shape.

The interior is octagonal in shape, with four chapels, and the main altar aligned with the main entrance.

A mosaic of Santa Caterina della Rota, executed by Paolo Rossetti in 1554, embellishes one of the chapels. On each side of the main altar, two works of the 17th century, the Presentation at the Temple of Philip Micheli and the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Giuliano Finelli, act as a backdrop to the icon of the Madonna del Loreto, venerated since the 16th century.

Inside the church, there is also a sculpture of Santa Susanna, one of the main works of François Duquesnoy, dated back to 1640.

On the right choir is the pipe organ, begun in 1870 by Matthias Scheible and completed between 1871 and 1873 by Pietro Pantanella.

HOW TO GET THERE

The closest Metro Station is Colosseo, on the Metro Line B, located about 950 meters away. The closest bus stop is Fori Imperiali/Campidoglio, on the bus Lines 51, 85 and 87, located about 120 meters away.