Chiesa della Madonna di Loreto

The Madonna di Loreto church faces Piazza Cavour in Anagni. Its small Baroque interior brings together a star-painted dome, sixteenth-century painting and an eighteenth-century altarpiece recalling the church's older dedication.

Why it matters

Originally dedicated to Saint Balbina, the church passed to the Confraternity of the Madonna di Loreto in 1574. Rebuilding for the Jubilee of 1750 gave the site a new architectural form while preserving links with its earlier religious identity.

What to notice

A barrel-vaulted nave leads to a presbytery covered by a small dome, where stars surround an image of the Assumption. A painting of Saint Lucy with Saints Blaise and Apollonia is attributed to Taddeo Zuccari and dated 1563. Magno Tucciarelli's high altarpiece of 1755 shows the Virgin and Child with Saint Magno, Anagni's patron, and Saint Balbina. The pairing connects civic devotion with the memory of the former dedication.

Context and history

The rebuilding began in 1749 under the patronage of Monsignor Bacchettoni, with the Jubilee year recorded above the entrance. Later furnishings completed the renewed devotional setting. The church thus represents an eighteenth-century chapter of Anagni's religious architecture while retaining older works of art.