2025 Visit Johnstown Visitors Guide - Flipbook - Page 50
Prince
Gallitzin’s
Loretto
Visit the 昀椀rst English-speaking catholic
settlement in the U.S. west of the Allegheny Front!
Mount Assisi Sunken Gardens & Renaissance Mansion
Loretto, formerly the McGuire Settlement,
was named after the Shrine of the Holy
House in Loreto, Italy, by Father Demetrius
Gallitzin, a former Russian Prince who
renounced his royal upbringing, enrolled
in seminary and became the first priest
to receive all his seminary studies in the
United States. Gallitzin, known as “The
Apostle of the Alleghenies”, established
the church and pastored the settlement
in Loretto until his death in 1840. He is
buried in an underground crypt with
his heroic-sized statue standing atop
a monument next to the Basilica of St.
Michael the Archangel. He is currently
under consideration for sainthood.
Another famous Loretto resident was
steel magnate, Charles Schwab. Born into
poverty, Schwab was hired by Carnegie
Steel of Pittsburgh when he was 17 and
worked his way up to company president
by the age of 35. Schwab contributed
his financial resources significantly to
the people of the Ebensburg/Loretto
community financing the Carmelite
Monastery and the Basilica of
St. Michael the Archangel.
MOUNT ASSISI SUNKEN GARDENS
& RENAISSANCE MANSION
105 Saint Francis Dr., Loretto, PA 15940
franciscanstor.org
Beautiful flower gardens, fountains, rock
gardens, shrines, reflection ponds, and
religious statues on the property of the
Franciscan Friars. Former summer estate
of Bethlehem Steel magnate Charles
Schwab. Open to the public from dawn
until dusk.
BASILICA OF ST. MICHAEL
THE ARCHANGEL
321 Saint Mary’s St., Loretto, PA 15940
814-472-8551 | basilicasm-loretto.org
Built as a gift to the parish from Charles
Schwab. Romanesque basilica with
Gothic features and designed in the
shape of a Latin cross. Three bells; four
Italian marble altars; the organ, a gift
from Andrew Carnegie; Mexican onyx
Communion railing; Stations of the
Cross imported from Italy.
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