Sacro Monte
Model and characteristics
The model of the calvary or "holy mountain" is a Christian creation dating from the late fifteenth century, that during the Counter-Reformation spread from Italy to Europe and the New World. A calvary is a devotional complex standing on the slopes of a mountain, with a series of chapels or kiosks containing scenes from the life of Christ, the Virgin Mary or the Saints, in the form of painting or sculptures.
As a re-evocation of the New Jerusalem, Sacred Mountains offered pilgrims an opportunity to visit the Holy Places by conjuring up, on a smaller scale, the buildings in which Christ's Passion took place. The Sacred Mountains stand on high ground, at some distance from the town centre, in a more natural setting. They are usually reached by pilgrimage. The itinerary leading up to the Sacred Mountain often re-evokes the Via Dolorosa, the road leading from Jerusalem to Calvary along which Christ carried the Cross.
The nine
The nine Sacri Monti included in the World Heritage Site are:
- The Sacro Monte of Nuova Gerusalemme (New Jerusalem) of Varallo Sesia (1486), Varallo Sesia, province of Vercelli
- The Sacro Monte of Santa Maria Assunta, Serralunga di Crea (1589), province of Alessandria
- The Sacro Monte of San Francesco, Orta San Giulio (1590), province of Novara
- The Sacro Monte of the Rosary, Varese (1598)
- The Sacro Monte of the Blessed Virgin, Oropa (1617), province of Biella
- The Sacro Monte of the Blessed Virgin of Succour, Ossuccio (1635), province of Como
- The Sacro Monte of the Holy Trinity, Ghiffa (1591), province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola
- The Sacro Monte and Calvary, Domodossola (1657), province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola
- The Sacro Monte of Belmonte, Valperga (1712), Metropolitan City of Turin
-
Sacro Monte di Varallo. Gaudenzio Ferrari, Statue of Christ on the Road to Calvary, Polychrome wood, ca. 1510
-
Chapel IV of the Sacro Monte (Varese)
See also
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy (in English), UNESCO World Heritage Site entry
- Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy (in English), sacrimonti.net