In February 2020, Erin Giffin traveled to see a series of Santa Casa replicas across the Czech Republic and Austria.

Erin Giffin visited Holy House replicas and conducted archival research in the Czech Republic at Slany, Rumburk, Prague, and Brno, as well as in Vienna and Walpersdorf, Austria. The frescoed and stone-revetted exteriors of these Holy Houses demonstrate the spread of Loretan print culture north of the Alps, and their stylistic similarities reflect the interconnected nature of Slavic and German communities. 

These visits are part of a larger exploration of replicas of the Santa Casa di Loreto across Europe. To find out more, see the research profile “Devotional Translations.”