diff --git a/src/main/php/xp/web/Source.class.php b/src/main/php/xp/web/Source.class.php
index ded32086..0e232224 100755
--- a/src/main/php/xp/web/Source.class.php
+++ b/src/main/php/xp/web/Source.class.php
@@ -24,7 +24,13 @@ private function newInstance($application, $environment) {
 
     $cl= ClassLoader::getDefault();
     try {
-      $class= is_file($application) ? $cl->loadUri($application) : $cl->loadClass($application);
+      if (is_file($application)) {
+        $class= $cl->loadUri($application);
+      } else if ($application[0] < 'a' || false !== strpos($application, '.')) {
+        $class= $cl->loadClass($application);
+      } else {
+        $class= $cl->loadClass("xp.{$application}.Web");
+      }
     } catch (ClassLoadingException $e) {
       throw new IllegalArgumentException('Cannot load class '.$application, $e);
     }
diff --git a/src/test/php/web/unittest/SourceTest.class.php b/src/test/php/web/unittest/SourceTest.class.php
index 14931a6c..97c6ce9d 100755
--- a/src/test/php/web/unittest/SourceTest.class.php
+++ b/src/test/php/web/unittest/SourceTest.class.php
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 <?php namespace web\unittest;
 
 use io\Path;
-use lang\{XPClass, IllegalArgumentException};
+use lang\{XPClass, IllegalArgumentException, ClassLoader};
 use test\{Assert, Before, Expect, Test};
-use web\Environment;
+use web\{Application, Environment};
 use xp\web\{ServeDocumentRootStatically, Source};
 
 class SourceTest {
@@ -26,9 +26,18 @@ public function application_class() {
     Assert::instance(HelloWorld::class, $src->application());
   }
 
+  #[Test]
+  public function application_class_in_global_namespace() {
+    $class= ClassLoader::defineClass('HelloWorld', Application::class, [], [
+      'routes' => function() { }
+    ]);
+    $src= new Source('HelloWorld', $this->environment);
+    Assert::instance($class, $src->application());
+  }
+
   #[Test]
   public function application_file() {
-    $base= XPClass::forName('web.unittest.HelloWorld')->getClassLoader()->path;
+    $base= ClassLoader::getDefault()->findClass(HelloWorld::class)->path;
     $src= new Source(new Path($base, 'web/unittest/HelloWorld.class.php'), $this->environment);
     Assert::instance(HelloWorld::class, $src->application());
   }
@@ -48,4 +57,14 @@ public function non_existant_class() {
   public function unrelated_class() {
     (new Source('util.Date', $this->environment))->application();
   }
+
+  #[Test]
+  public function lowercase_xp_namespaced_web_app() {
+    $class= ClassLoader::defineClass('xp.lambda.Web', Application::class, [], [
+      'routes' => function() { }
+    ]);
+
+    $src= new Source('lambda', $this->environment);
+    Assert::instance($class, $src->application());
+  }
 }
\ No newline at end of file