Loreto is one of the most famous shrines dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
The Basilica of the Holy House was started in 1468, completed by the seventeenth century and the bell tower completed by Luigi Vanvitelli in 1755. The best architects of the time worked there: Baccio Pontelli, Bramante, Andrea Sansovino Giuliano da Sangallo and Antonio da Sangallo il giovane. The basilica is Gothic-Renaissance Latin cross style. The octagonal dome was built between 1498 and 1500 by Giuliano da Sangallo. Bramante also participated in the construction of the facade, but you can not see the work of the teacher, because it was built by Giovanni Boccalini. Inside a rich and sumptuous marble enclosure holds the Santa Casa, designed by Bramante, but built by Sansovino. The Annunciation chapel was decorated with frescoes by Federico Zuccari, the sacristy of Saint Mark and Saint John respectively by Melozzo da Forli and Luca Signorelli, the ceiling and roof of the Treasure Room by Pomarancio.