This is a fairly new feast introduced into the Liturgical calendar in 2019 by Pope Francis. It celebrates a relic, the house where the Holy Family lived in Nazareth, now known as the House of Loreto. It was a small house, 31 feet by 13 feet and it is presently in Loreto, Italy. It was through a miracle how it got there from Palestine. St Helena had built a basilica where the house stood in Nazareth. It was preserved for 12 centuries but was destroyed in 1263. But it reappeared in 1291, with the angels carrying it, first to Croatia and then to Loreto, Italy. In 1960, archaeologists discovered that the stone from which it was made is typical of Palestine stone, which confirmed its authenticity.
In this house, the Annunciation took place, and Mary was raised in it by her parents Joachim and Anne, as well as Jesus by his parents. So more than a relic, it can be considered as an Icon, where the Annunciation, Jesus’ conception and the Incarnation took place.
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