The Story of Loreto Facade.
Anthology of Essays and Exhibition Catalogue.
Appearance of the Baroque front façade of Loreto, one of the unmistakable dominant features of Prague, is generally well known. But do you have an idea, what did Loreto look like before Philipp Hyacinth, the Count of Lobkowicz, approached Christoph Dientzenhofer and commissioned him to create this impressive backdrop? The present-day visitors are mostly unaware of the fact the front façade did not come into existence simultaneously with the rest of the Loreto site but, in fact, nearly one hundred years after its foundation. The exhibition the catalougue of which you happen to hold in your hands, has been organised on the occasion of the extensive reconstruction of Dientzehofer’s front façade that is currently under way, and includes numerous commentaries on restoration works carried out. It is also a probe into the building history of Loreto from the very start up to the construction of the new front façade.