The background of our lady of Loretto statue:

The title our Lady of Loretto Statue refers to the sacred house of Loretto, the house where our Lady of Loretto Statue was born, the place where the Annunciation took place, and an ancient statue of the Virgin Mary found there. Tradition says that a group of angels picked up the little house from the Holy Land and transported it first to Tersato in Dalmatia in 1291, then to Recanati in Italy in 1294, and finally to Loreto, Italy, where it has existed for centuries. It was this flight that led her to visit people in the airline industry, and the longevity of the house led to visits from builders, construction workers, etc. It is internationally known as the first shrine to our Lady of Loretto Statue and has been known as the Marian Centre for centuries. The Popes have always had special respect for the Loreto Temple, which is under their direct authority and protection.

our lady of loretto statue (1)

Why is the skin tone of our Lady of Loretto Statue black in design?

According to religion, our Lady of Loretto statue is black because in the song of Song it says, “Black hair, but beautiful.” Mary said to her friend, “Don’t think I’m black because I got a sunburn,” a line that always appears in the same song to reinforce this hypothesis. The sun, as well as the image of God, is a feature not only of our Lady of Loretto Statue but also of Czestochowa, who are white but black leather women. Over the centuries, the smoke absorbed by the wooden statue of our Lady of Loreto (carved from Lebanese cedar) has given it a very dark hue. In addition, although our Lady of Loretto Statue was destroyed in a fire in 1921 and rebuilt in 1922, in L. Celani’s model of Quattrini, it is made of Lebanese cedar, painted evenly and with a deeper black tone than before. Today is still the tradition of 1924, December 10, to commemorate the arrival of our Lady of Loretto Statue, a bonfire is lit throughout the evening to commemorate that event.

our lady of loretto statue (2)

our lady of loretto statue (3)