About half an hour away from where I’m sitting right now is the Holy House of the Virgin Mary where the Annunciation took place.
Mary’s earthly home consisted of a grotto cut into rock onto which a three-sided stone house was built. The grotto remains in Nazareth over which the Basilica of the Annunciation was built, but the stone part was moved to Loreto, Le Marche.
It was first moved during the Crusades to a place in (what is now) Croatia. Then to Recanati, Le Marche. Finally, on 10th December 1294, it was moved to Loreto by angels.
What…? You don’t believe in angels!
Here are a few facts:
Between 1962 and 1965 archaeological excavations revealed that materials used in the Holy House date with those of the Nazareth Grotto.
- Graffiti written on some of the stones are believed to be Jewish-Christian in origin.
- Five crosses have been found in the stones said to belong to either Crusaders, or to an order of knights who defended holy places and relics during the middle ages.
- Ostriches aren’t native to these parts, but the remains of an ostrich egg have also been found in the stones.
- The structure of the house does not follow Marchigiani building practices.
- The stones are cut in the same way as they were throughout Galilee during the time of Jesus.
- Lastly, there is a document dated September 1294 stating that the Holy House was moved to Loreto by ship and the name on the document was a noble from the ‘Angeli’ family.
So, either way you look at this, it seems that the stones of the Holy House were brought here by angels, because ‘Angeli’ means angels in English. I still like to think they were the winged ones who leave a white feather when they visit you.
Further reading:
http://www.sacredsites.com/europe/italy/loreto.html
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13454b.htm
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