Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy

UNESCO registered the Sacri Monti Piedmont and of Lombardy to the world heritage of Humanity in 2003.

Source

The contents which follow are extracted from the site of UNESCO: Advisory Body N°1068 Evaluation

History

The crowned mounts appeared with the turning of the 15th century and 16th century, in the idea to create in Europe of the places of prayer in alternative to the holy places of Jerusalem and Palestine, increasingly difficult of access for the pilgrims because of rapid expansion of the Moslem culture. The minor brothers, guards of the the Holy Sepulchre selected three sites - Varallo in Valsesia, pertaining to the Duché of Milan, Montaione in Toscane, and Braga in the north of the Portugal - to build “Jerusalem news there”, of a design and a topography similar to those of the original. After a few years, particularly after the Council of Thirty of 1535, this model, and in particular that of Varallo, built in the neighborhoods of 1480, was used for other reasons, particularly in the dioceses under the jurisdiction of the curia of Milan. It was a question this time of fighting the influence of the Protestant Réforme by supporting the creation of other mounts crowned like concrete expressions of their religious teaching. Those were dedicated not only to the Christ but also to the worship of the Virgin Mary, the saints, the Trinité and the Rosaire.

This ideal, respectful project of specific standards in terms of typology and architectural styles, was strongly supported by Charles Borromée, bishop of Milan. In accordance with the ideas born of the Council of Thirty, it completed the mount crowned of Varallo before launching work on the others. This phase continued throughout the 17th century, until the middle of the 18th century. Varallo succeeded the crowned mounts of Crea, Orta, Varèse, Oropa, Ossuccio, Ghiffa, Domodossola and Valperga. If they followed at the beginning certain elementary rules, they developed with the wire of their construction of the artistic and architectural aspects clean. Other crowned mounts were designed and built throughout the 18th century, but much of them were anything else only examples of different styles, religious motivation, authenticity lack of the composition according to the strict standards and the splendid architectural and artistic elements which had marked the first phase of the 16th century and 17th century.

The mount crowned or “new Jerusalem” of Varallo

See also: Mount Crowned of Varallo

Work started in the last decade of the 15th century, to rebuild the landscape of the Holy Land on a rock collar overhanging the small town of Varallo. Several Vaults, containing statues life size or almost and frescos illustrating various biblical sites, was set up. The topic evolved at the end of the 16th century, under the influence of the Counter-Reformation, to the Life and the Passion of Christ. Many major artists and sculptors contributed to work. Currently, the layout includes/understands the first re-creations of Nazareth and Bethlehem in a timbered landscape, a landscape garden and 45 vaults bordering the principal way. The top of the hill is dedicated to an evocation of the town of Jerusalem.

The mount crowned of Our-Lady-of-the Assomption, Serralunga di Crea and Ponzano

See also: Mont Crowned of Created

The origins of the Mont Crowned of Created go up with 1589, time to which a construction project of 25 Chapelles illustrating the Mysteries of the Rosaire on one of the highest collars of the area of the Monferrato was born. But it evolved/moved with the wire of time, and currently includes 23 Chapelles and five hermitages. The complex includes/understands amusement the buildings of the sanctuary of the Assumption of the Virgin, of originally Romance style, but which undergoes various modifications at the 15th century, 17th century and 19th siècle20e century. The Chapelles shelter a polychrome terra cotta statuary and paintings dating from the first period. They were supplemented by others (out of plaster) during the restoration campaign led to the 19th century. Wood where the Chapelles are located shelter many rare floral specimens.

The crowned mount of Francois, saint Orta San Giulio

See also: Mount Crowned of Orta

This complex, only dedicated to Holy François d' Assise, was built in three phases. The first, marked by the Mannerism, began in 1590 on order of the local community to continue until in 1630 approximately. The second, where the style baroque prevails, continued until the end of the 17th century, with a freer form of baroque associated with other influences over the third period, until the end of the 18th century. The complex consists of 21 Chapelles, the old Old people's home of Francois, saint a monumental door and a fountain. This crowned mount is single in what no change was brought at its disposal since the 16th century. The garden is of an exceptional quality, with a splendid sight on the Lac of Orta.

The crowned mount of the Rosary, Varèse

At the origin of Sacro Varèse Goes up, is the sanctuary of Santa Maria del Monte, place of pilgrimage as of the Middle Ages. The crowned mount was built after the Concile of Thirty. Work began in 1604, along a paved way of 2 km representing the Mysteries of the Rosary, become increasingly popular starting from the Bataille of Lépante (1571). Thanks to sumptuous donations, construction was much faster than that of the other crowned mounts, and thirteen of the vaults were completed in 1623. In 1698, it was finished, under its current form, with 15 vaults, whose last was set up in the sanctuary of 1474 at the top. As in the Rosary itself, they are divided into five groups of five. The architecture of the vaults, the wells and the fountains is varied, like their ornamentation, statues and frescos.

The crowned mount of the Blessed Virgin, Oropa

One of the oldest sanctuaries dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which attracted many devout pilgrims, is the sanctuary of Oropa, near Biella. Though work started on this mount crowned like appendix with the sanctuary in 1617, they were completed fine only at the end of the 17th century. The idea was in the beginning to describe the life of the Virgin Mary in twenty vaults, with five others devoted to other elements of the New Testament. The project profited from the sponsorship of the duke of Savoy, on the territory of which it was located.

The site, highest of the group since it culminates with more than 2300 meters, is a hill covered of beeches and surrounded by alpine peaks. There are today 27 vaults, including twelve depicting the life of the Virgin Mary and the others of the various religious subjects. Their architectural styles are typical period baroque during which they were built, following the example statues and paintings added to embellish them.

The crowned mount of Our-Lady-of-Good-Help, Ossuccio

This group is on Western bank of the Lac of Like, to 25 km in the north of the city of the same name, with mountainside; it culminates to 400 m above the sea level, vis-a-vis the island of Comacina. Surrounded by fields, olive groves and wood, it is completely isolated from the other buildings. The fourteen vaults all, built between 1635 and 1710, are of style Baroque. The vegetation is integrated perfectly at their disposal and adds to their attraction. They imitate in a great measurement the whole of Varèse. They lead to the sanctuary built in 1537, to the top, and supplement the chain of the Rosary symbolically.

The crowned mount of the Holy Trinity, Ghiffa

See also: Mount Crowned of the Holy Trinity of Ghiffa

Between the end of the 16th century and the middle of the 17th century, a plan of construction of a mount crowned around old the Sanctuary of the Holy Trinity, on this mountain with wood dense, was set up. However, during the first phase, only three Chapelles were set up. From where a notable rise of the going number of pilgrims visits some with the Sanctuaire: a vast effort of expansion was thus made between 1646 and 1649. In its actual position, the mount crowned account six Vaults devoted to various biblical and also three smaller Vaults or oratorical topics.

Crowned mount and Martyrdom, Domodossola

See also: Mount Crowned of Domodossola

In 1656, two brothers capuchins chose the collar of Mattarella, in overhang of Domodossola, to become the site of a crowned mount and a martyrdom. From there from twelve Chapelles was born a series, with statues and frescos accounting for the stations of the crosses and three Chapelles for the Deposition, the the Holy Sepulchre and the Résurrection. At the top of the collar is the octagonal Sanctuaire of the Holy Cross, whose construction began in 1657.

The crowned mount of Belmonte, Valperga Canavese

See also: Mount Crowned of Belmonte

The red granite hill of Belmonte is with the variation of the peaks of the chain of the Piedmont. The monk Michelangelo da Montiglio had, at the beginning of the 18th century, the idea of a mount crowned at this place. Having spent several years in Holy Land, it wished to recreate the biblical sites in Italy of north, and thus drew a circuit of Chapelles symbolizing the principal events of Passion leading to tiny the Sanctuaire, which was for a long time a place of Pèlerinage. The Vaults, thirteen, are of almost identical plan: they were financed and in a great measurement built by the autochtones. They in the beginning were decorated with paintings of crowned subjects, works of local craftsmen: it is only one century later that they were clearings by the addition of ceramics statues of Castellamonte. The access path was extended to the end of the 19th century, to manage to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims.

External bonds

  1. Sacro Goes up of Varallo
  2. Sacri Monti of Piedmont and from Lombardy

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