fair measure of Ferdinand’s problematic nature can be understood from his having gone on the pilgrimage to the church at Loreto. This crazy shrine was meant to mark the point where the hut in which the Virgin Mary had once lived came to rest after it whirled up into the air and, after several bounces, landed in Italy, having successfully escaped the Muslims who had invaded the Holy Land. As a rule of thumb, if you do not find the story of the Holy House completely absurd then you have failed some basic test, Catholic or not. Ferdinand believed in it fervently.
