Giovanni d' Enrico, ''Ecce Homo ''(detail of the crowd calling for crucifixion), 1608-9. The Sacred Mountain of Varallo ( it, Sacro Monte di Varallo) is a '' Sacro Monte'' ("sacred mountain", a type of mountainside Christian devotional complex) overlooking the town of

Varallo Sesia Varallo Sesia (Piedmontese: ''Varal''), pronouciation (Vhuh-rahl-loh) commonly known as Varallo, is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Vercelli in the Piedmont region of Italy. It is situated in Valsesia, at above sea level and some north- ...

in the

province of Vercelli A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, northern Italy. It is the oldest ''Sacro Monte'', founded in 1491 by

Franciscan friar , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

Bernardino Caimi. It is built on a natural terrace on the rocky slopes of Monte Tre Croci ("three crosses mountain"), on the left bank of the

Sesia The Sesia (Latin ''Sesites'' or ''Sessites'') is a river in Piedmont, north-western Italy, tributary to the Po. Geography Its sources are the glaciers of Monte Rosa at the border with Switzerland. It flows through the Alpine valley Valsesia a ...

river where it leaves Val Mastallone. It is 600 m above sea level, 150 m above the historic centre of Varallo.

Structures

The Sacro Monte at Varallo comprises the

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

and 45

chapels A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...

, either isolated or inserted into the large monumental complexes ''Nazareth'', ''Bethlehem'', ''Pilate’s house'', ''Calvary'', ''Sepulchre'' and ''Parella’s house'' – populated by more than 800 life size painted

statues A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...

, in wood and terracotta, that dramatically illustrate the life, passion, death and resurrection of Christ. These interiors are vividly decorated with fresco paintings. The Sacro Monte area is divided into two distinct zones. The first, surrounded by plants, is set out like a sloping garden; here the

are positioned at strategic points along the path. Beginning with ''Adam and Eve'' or ''Original Sin'', they narrate the story of

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

, from the Annunciation until his arrival in

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

. The second zone, preceded by the ''Porta Aurea'', is located on the summit, and is built up of palazzi and elaborate porticos, built around the two squares; piazza dei Tribunali (''piazza civica'') and piazza del Tempio (''piazza religiosa''). The aim here, was to represent the city of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

; it does indeed have a city feel about it. The chapels narrate the events of Christ's life inside and around the walls of

; here are ''The Last Supper'', ''The Burial'', ''The Resurrection of Christ'' and ''The Assumption of the Madonna'', to which the basilica is also dedicated. The urban character of this Sacro Monte clearly distinguishes it from the others.

History

The present layout of the Sacro Monte is the result of a series of interventions carried out from the very end of the 15th century up until the middle of the 19th century. Father

Bernardino Caimi Bernardino is a name of Italian, Hispanic, or Portuguese origin, which can refer to: Given name *Bernardino Baldi (1533–1617), Italian mathematician and writer * Bernardino Bertolotti (born 1547), Italian composer and instrumentalist * Bernar ...

, an eminent political and religious man, was the promoter of the Sacro Monte, with the help of rich local families. He had been rector of the Palestinian Holy Places, and an Ambassador to the Spanish court. A plaque tells us that Caimi tried to recreate the “Holy sites, so that who could not go on a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

might see Jerusalem”. After his death in 1499, father Candido Ranzo and father Francesco da Marignano, continued his work. Helped by

Gaudenzio Ferrari Gaudenzio Ferrari (c. 1471 – 11 January 1546) was an Italian painter and sculptor of the Renaissance. Biography Gaudenzio was born to Franchino Ferrari at Valduggia in the Valsesia in the Duchy of Milan. Valduggia is now in the Province of V ...

from Valduggia (a key figure until 1529 – painter, sculptor and architect), creator of some of the most enthralling of the sacred dramas: ''The Three Kings'' and ''The Crucifixion''. The Lanino brothers

Giulio Cesare Luini Giulio Cesare Luini (Varallo Sesia, 1512- After 1565) was an Italian painter. Giulio was a colleague of Gaudenzio Ferrari in the decoration of the Sacro Monte di Varallo Giovanni d' Enrico, ''Ecce Homo ''(detail of the crowd calling for crucif ...

and

Fermo Stella da Caravaggio Fermo (ancient: Firmum Picenum) is a town and ''comune'' of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo. Fermo is on a hill, the Sabulo, elevation , on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway. History The oldest human ...

were the executors of his work. From the middle of the sixteenth-century work began on a total renovation of the site. At the height of the Counter-Reformation, all the events of Jesus’s life were to be represented, the passion and his

death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

. The area was organized into two zones, the predominantly natural lower portion and the summit, destined to represent the City of Jerusalem. From 1570 to 1590 a substantial number of the chapels in the garden area were constructed, the frescoes were finished and the statues were added. From 1593 until 1640, the organization of the urbanistic, architectural and figurative elements was carried out in the elevated zone. The configuration of the Sacro Monte was taking place; the cardinal points of the first scenes - ''Nazareth'', ''Bethlehem'', ''Crucifixion'' and ''The Burial'' - were established in the new layout. From 1565 until 1569 the

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Galeazzo Alessi Galeazzo Alessi (1512 – 30 December 1572) was an Italian architect from Perugia, known throughout Europe for his distinctive style based on his enthusiasm for ancient architecture. He studied drawing for civil and military architecture under the ...

played a decisive role in the renovation work, as did the Perugian architect Domenico Alfiano, and

Valsesia Valsesia ( pms, Valsesia; Walser German: ''Tseschrutol''; it, Valle della Sesia) is a group of valleys in the north-east of Piedmont in the Province of Vercelli, Italy; the principal valley is that of the river Sesia. The major towns located h ...

ns Giovanni d’Enrico and Bartolomeo Ravelli. The

sculptors Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

, Tabacchetti, Giovanni D’Enrico, and

painters Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

like il Morazzone, Tanzio, Rocca, the Gherardini brothers, and the Gianoli brothers worked in the same artistic vein established by

. However, Morazzone and the d’Enrico brothers,

Giovanni Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...

and Tanzio, helped concretize the ''gran teatro montano''.

References

Bibliography

* Samuel Butler, ''Ex Voto. Studio artistico sulle opere d'arte del Sacro Monte di Varallo e di Crea'', Novara, 1894 (traduzione italiana del testo ingles
reperibile on line
. *

Giovanni Testori Giovanni Testori (Novate Milanese, 12 May 1923 – Milan, 16 March 1993) was an Italian writer, journalist, poet, art and literary critic, dramatist, screenplay writer, theatrical director and painter. Biography Childhood and youth “It is ...

, ''Elogio dell'arte novarese'', De Agostini, Novara, 1962. * Idem, ''Il gran teatro montano'', Milano, Feltrinelli, 1965 (ora in G. Testori, ''La realtà della pittura. Scritti di storia e critica d'arte dal Quattrocento al Settecento'', a cura di P. Marani, Milano,

Longanesi Longanesi, also known as Longanesi & C., is a publishing house based in Milan, Italy. It was founded in 1946 by Leo Longanesi and industrialist Giovanni Monti.Nanni Delbecchi (13 May 2016). "Longanesi fa settanta. Il 'Dottor Naso' aveva fiuto". ' ...

, 1995. * Idemi, ''Tanzio da Varallo'', catalogo della mostra, Torino, 1959 (ora in G. Testori, ''La realtà della Pittura'', Longanesi, Milano, 1995. * Casimiro Debiaggi, ''Il Sacro Monte di Varallo - Breve storia della Basilica e di tutte le cappelle'', Guida a cura dell'Amministrazione Vescovile del Sacromonte, III edizione, 1996. * Luigi Zanzi, Paolo Zanzi, (a cura di), ''Atlante dei Sacri Monti prealpini'',

Skira The festival of the Skira ( grc, Σκίρα) or Skirophoria ( grc, Σκιροφόρια) in the calendar of ancient Athens, closely associated with the Thesmophoria, marked the dissolution of the old year in May/June. Description At Athens, t ...

, Milano, 2002 * Giovanni Agosti, ''Testori a Varallo'', in "Testori a Varallo - Sacro Monte, Santa Maria delle Grazie, Pinacoteca e Roccapietra" (a cura dell'Associazione Giovanni Testori), Cinisello Balsamo, Silvana Editoriale, 2005. * Elena De Filippis, ''Gaudenzio Ferrari. La crocefissione del Sacro Monte di Varallo'', Torino, Allemandi, 2006. * Giovanni Reale, Elisabetta Sgarbi, ''Il grande teatro del Sacro Monte di Varallo'', Milano,

Bompiani Bompiani is an Italian publishing house based in Milan. It was founded in 1929 by Valentino Bompiani. In 1990, Bompiani became part of the RCS MediaGroup. It was sold in 2015 to the Giunti Group. It is widely regarded as one of the leading literar ...

, 2009. * Elena De Filippis, ''Guida del Sacro Monte di Varallo'', Tipolitografia, Borgosesia 2009.

Gallery

File:Varallo Sesia Sacro Monte di Varallo 001.JPG, Veduta del ''Supra montem'' File:Sacro Monte di Varallo-parco e gruppo cappelle II-III-IV.JPG, Veduta del parco e delle cappelle Image:Sacro Monte Varallo 2.JPG, Cappelle dell'Annunciazione (struttura con le cappelle II, III, IV) Image:Varallo Sesia Sacro Monte di Varallo 002.JPG, Cappella XXVIII, ''Gesù al tribunale di Erode'' Image:Sacro Monte Varallo 3.jpg, Piazza della Basilica, ''La fontana e la chiesa del S. Sepolcro'' Image:Sacro Monte Varallo 4.JPG, Facciata della Basilica

External links