Our Lady of Loreto

According to medieval tradition, the small house of Mary in Nazareth was carried by angels to Loreto in central Italy in 1294 to save it from invading Muslim armies. Whether by angels or by Crusaders, the stones now enclosed in the basilica there have been venerated for seven centuries. Loreto is the patroness of aviators — a 20th-century addition reflecting the house's legendary flight.

Archaeological studies have confirmed that the stones of the Holy House are of a type found in Nazareth and that they bear graffiti consistent with early Christian devotion. The shrine became one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Christendom; among its pilgrims were saints from Charles Borromeo to Therese of Lisieux. Pope Benedict XV proclaimed Our Lady of Loreto patroness of aviators in 1920, and the Litany of Loreto remains one of the most beloved Marian prayers in the Church.