Loreta

Loreta tickets: which one to buy

The Loreta is a pilgrimage complex in the Hradcany district of Prague, a ten-minute walk from the castle, and it is ticketed, with the ticket covering the courtyard, the Santa Casa, the church, the cloisters and the treasury. An additional fee is sometimes charged for photography. It is one of the most rewarding sights in Prague, and it is often less crowded than the castle, since many tours skip it.

Walking tours of the castle district sometimes include it with the Strahov monastery and its library, which are a few minutes away. The carillon in the tower plays a Marian hymn on the hour, and occasional carillon concerts are held. The square outside faces the long facade of the Czernin Palace. Visiting in the morning, after the castle opens but before the crowds move on to Hradcany, works well. Tram 22 stops at Pohorelec, a few minutes' walk from the Loreta, and saves the climb from the Lesser Town.

Visiting Loreta: what to see

The heart of the complex is a copy of the Santa Casa, the house of the Virgin Mary that legend says was carried by angels from Nazareth to Loreto in Italy. The Prague copy was built in 1626 by a Bohemian noblewoman during the Counter-Reformation, and it is covered with stucco reliefs of prophets and scenes from the life of Mary. Around it, cloisters and chapels were built, and in the 1720s the Dientzenhofer architects added the grand baroque facade with its bell tower.

The tower holds a carillon of twenty-seven bells. The church of the Nativity has a lavish baroque interior. One chapel in the cloister holds a statue of Saint Starosta, a bearded crucified woman. The treasury displays extraordinary objects, the most famous being the Prague Sun, a monstrance of gilded silver set with more than six thousand diamonds. The cloister walls are lined with chapels, each dedicated to a different saint and decorated with frescoes and small altars donated by noble families.

Loreta opening hours and the best time to go

The Loreta is open daily with shorter hours in winter, and it may close for special events. The carillon plays on the hour during the day. Prague is busiest from spring to autumn and around Christmas and New Year, and the castle district is crowded from late morning. Early morning is the calmest time.

The Strahov library, with its painted halls, and the viewpoint from the Strahov gardens over the city are about ten minutes away. In winter, the Nativity scene in the Loreta draws visitors. Allow about an hour for the whole complex, and be in the courtyard on the hour to hear the carillon. Carillon concerts on selected summer evenings give a longer programme than the hourly hymn and are free to hear from the square.