Loretto is a city in Lawrence County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,714 at the 2010 census, and 1,739 at the 2020 census.

Loretto began as a stagecoach station known as “Glen Rock” in the at the forefront 19th century. In 1870, a number of German Catholic immigrants settled in the Loretto area, and a supplementary city was established suddenly afterward. Some sources suggest the name “Loretto” was inspired by the Loreto region in Italy, while others say the city was named for a sainted nun. The congregation the immigrants formed, the Sacred Heart Church of Jesus, still exists, and their church (built in 1912) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. With the arrival of the railroad in the 1880s, Loretto thrived as a lumber town.

Other historic buildings tote up the Bank of Loretto building, which was built in the 1920s. The Bank of Loretto building was renovated in 2013 and housed Nana’s Pizzeria, which closed in late 2020. The building now houses The Noble Fox restaurant. Next entrance to the outdated Loretto bank building was Weathers Store and Myers Store. They sold general merchandise to generations of families. Steps all along the street lies the Loretto Milling Company, established in 1895 and yet open for business, making it one of the oldest family-run businesses in the city. Other businesses located in this district included a doctor’s office, cobbler’s shop, cafes, hotels, and a funeral home. There was moreover a stage coach stop, and subsequently later on a bus depot. The historic downtown area began to fall following the construction of U.S. Route 43 to the east of the district in the 1940s, when its public notice activity shifted to the new highway. Like many Southern towns, Loretto is applying for grants to urge on revive the older historic district.

Loretto is the house of the Loretto High School Mustangs.