Piazza della Madonna

Piazza della Madonna is the monumental centre of Loreto, where the basilica façade, Palazzo Apostolico, Palazzo Illirico, Vanvitelli's bell tower and the Fontana Maggiore meet. The square stands at the head of Corso Boccalini in front of the Basilica of the Holy House.

Why it matters

The piazza brings together the buildings associated with Loreto's sanctuary and the institutions that developed around it. Its form reflects the growth of the shrine and the successive architectural projects that shaped the town's central space.

What to notice

Palazzo Apostolico stands on the north side of the square. Its L-shaped plan reflects an unbuilt southern wing; a Doric portico below and an Ionic loggia above frame the palace façade. Palazzo Illirico recalls its seventeenth-century role as a college for students from Illyria. At the centre, the Fontana Maggiore was designed by Carlo Maderno and Giovanni Fontana between 1604 and 1614, with bronze sculptures by the Giacometti brothers. The piazza also contains a statue of Sixtus V by Antonio Calcagni and Tiburzio Vergelli, dated 1589, and the bell tower designed by Luigi Vanvitelli.

Context and history

The square developed as buildings for the sanctuary gathered around the space before the basilica. Giovanni Boccalini designed the façade in 1571; Lattanzio Ventura completed it in 1587. An early seventeenth-century aqueduct designed by Giovanni Fontana and Carlo Maderno brought water from Recanati to the fountain. The basilica's bronze doors were installed between 1596 and 1610, while a bronze Virgin and Child by Girolamo Lombardo, dated 1583, stands inside the church facing the piazza.