Madonna di Loreto

The current Madonna di Loreto is a 1921 replacement of a medieval original destroyed by fire. Carved from Lebanese cedar from the Vatican Gardens, it deliberately maintains the dark coloring of the original, which had been blackened by centuries of candlelight.

The original statue's date and creator are uncertain, though it is generally attributed to the medieval period. Over centuries of veneration, the face and hands darkened from exposure to oil lamp and candle smoke and the alteration of original pigments. This gradual transformation produced the Black Madonna of Loreto, an image that attracted particular devotion. On February 23, 1921, a fire destroyed the original. The replacement was carved by Leopoldo Celani from a cedar of Lebanon taken from the Vatican Gardens, and was deliberately finished in dark tones to maintain the venerated appearance.