Santa Maria de Loreto



Santa Maria de Loreto is a location in Season Six and Season Seven of the Showtime series DEXTER.

It's a church, abandoned for over twenty years, and the base of operations for The Doomsday Killer for at least three years.

Location
Davie, Florida (north of Miami)

Description
The interior was adorned with paintings by Travis Marshall, although some may been created by Professor Gellar when he was alive. Each painting depicted a separate tableau that Travis created in order to bring on the End of Days.

The church was lit by candles and fire bowls, and there was a refrigerator that stored jars of Travis Marshall's blood. In the basement, Dexter found a freezer that held the body of Professor James Gellar. The appliances may have been powered by a generator.

The church itself appeared to be over a hundred years old and of Victorian architecture.

Season Six

 * "Once Upon a Time"

Professor Gellar and Travis are bringing bags from their car into the church. Gellar states that "another" must be chosen soon. Travis accidentally tears one of the bags and. mannequin parts spill out, rolling down the steps. Gellar picks up the head, parts its hair, and says, "Hello."


 * "Smokey and the Bandit"

During a series of visits to the church, Travis urges a shackled Nathan Roberts to beg for forgiveness for his sins. When he begins to sympathize with Nathan, he departs. Out in the chapel area, Professor Gellar tells Travis that Nathan is only saying what Travis wants to hear in hopes of being set free. Meanwhile, Nathan continues to tug on the chain securing him to the floor. He finally succeeds in pulling the shackle loose and he breaks free, although his hands are still tied together. As Nathan searches for an exit, a horse rears up, and he falls back frightened. Travis instantly appears, and pulls Nathan into another room. Travis tells Nathan that if he wants to be saved, he must make a choice. Nathan grovels at Travis’s feet, begging for his life and insisting he wishes to be cleansed of his sins.


 * "A Horse of a Different Color"

At the church, Professor Gellar works on painting a portrait of The Angel of Death. Travis approaches from behind and tells Gellar that he is going on a date with Erin Baer, but he offers to cancel if Gellar disapproves. Gellar states that Travis was given free will for a reason and he can do as he wishes, as long as he's willing to accept the consequences.


 * "The Angel of Death"

Travis and Professor Gellar are on their knees at the alter praying before the statue of Christ. Travis looks over at Gellar and notices blood trickling down his forehead. Travis looks away for a moment, but when he looks back, the blood has vanished. Gellar realizes that Travis isn't paying attention to the statue of Christ and orders him to keep his eyes on God. After they say amen, Gellar asks Travis to help him up, which he does, and Gellar states that it's time to do a little hunting.


 * "Just Let Go"

Holly Benson is kept captive in the church for several days, confused and in pain. Finally, Gellar tells Travis that it’s time to mark the whore and he expects it to be done when he returns. Travis heats a branding iron within a fire, and holds it near Holly as she begs to be set free. Travis, feeling conflicted about branding and killing Holly, takes her in his car and releases her away from the church.


 * "Nebraska"

At his apartment, Travis packs up Gellar’s books and a photo of him and Gellar together. He takes the items to the church where Gellar is preparing alligators and clothes for The Whore of Babylon tableau. In an attempt to persuade Travis to help him, Gellar tells him stories about human cruelty as a reason why the world has to end. Travis yells at him to shut up, and insists he wants to be free. Gellar finally says that he releases him and he will talk to God, so Travis departs. Later, Travis finds the photo that he left in the church in his sister’s kitchen.


 * "Sin of Omission"

Travis wakes up in the church, chained to the floor, and notices Gellar sitting nearby. After a heated conversation about the murder of Travis's sister, Gellar holds a heated rod near Travis, and says he doesn’t want to hurt him. Travis retorts that he seems to like making people suffer. Gellar says there is only one way to get the demons out of his head, and places the rod on Travis’s arm. Travis screams in pain. Suddenly, Dexter’s car is heard outside the church. Gellar orders Travis to not say a word, and rushes to hide.


 * "Get Gellar"

Dexter uses an axe to chop Travis loose from his chains. Travis thanks Dexter for saving his life, believing that Gellar would have killed him. When Dexter asks where Gellar is, Travis hesitates in answering, and then insists he doesn’t know. He says the church was Gellar’s home and he only left when they were doing “the work.” As he looks at Gellar’s paintings, Dexter takes note of The Bowls of Wrath, the next tableau. As he searches through Gellar’s books, he finds a parking pass with 2LOT written on it. When Travis begins to feel dizzy, they leave the church, and Dexter checks him into a hotel, giving him a burner phone with his number.

Later, Dexter finds Travis on the floor of the church, unconscious. As he looks around, Dexter notices a trapdoor near the altar. He opens it and descends into the basement. Noticing a large freezer, Dexter lifts the top and discovers Gellar’s frozen body. To his surprise, he realizes that Gellar has been dead for a long time, and Travis is the sole killer. Travis peers down into the basement at Gellar and Dexter, and then locks the trapdoor.


 * "Ricochet Rabbit"

Through a basement window, Dexter watches Travis as he argues with a nonexistent Gellar. Dexter finds a door that leads to the outside but, before he goes, he chops off Gellar’s hand to keep his fingerprints. (He disposes of the rest of the body in a swamp, though it's not shown.)

The cops arrive at the church and realize that it's the Doomsday Killers' hideout when they see the paintings of tableaus. Debra suddenly has a panic attack and has to step out for some air. Dexter finds two empty pill bottles labeled for anti-psychotic meds that were prescribed for Travis by a Dr. Benjamin Carlson.


 * "This is the Way the World Ends"

Dexter is observed by Debra Morgan when he kills Travis inside this church. Using his acting skills, Dexter persuades Debra to help him set the body on fire to cover up the crime. Unfortunately, Dexter drops Travis's blood slide during the process.

Season Seven

 * "Are You...?"

The homicide team investigate the apparent ritualistic suicide of Travis. Captain Maria LaGuerta finds the blood slide Dexter lost and it leads her to suspect Dexter of being the Bay Harbor Butcher.

Note

 * All interactions between Travis and James Gellar appear only in the mind of Travis.

Related Pages

 * The Beginning of the End (website)
 * Book of Revelation
 * Doomsday Killer Case
 * Doomsday Tableaus
 * End of Days
 * Erin Baer
 * Holly Benson
 * The Lamb
 * Miami Cultural Center
 * Nathan Roberts
 * Nicholas Galway (retired priest)
 * Professor James Gellar
 * Travis Marshall
 * Travis Marshall's Apartment
 * Two Witnesses
 * John the Revelator
 * Sword of John the Revelator