Sacro Monte Of Varallo
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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 The (plural of , Italian for "Sacred Mountain") of Piedmont and Lombardy are a series of nine calvaries or groups of chapels and other architectural features created in northern Italy during the late sixteenth century and the seventeenth century ...
'' ("sacred mountain", a type of mountainside Christian devotional complex) overlooking the town of Varallo Sesia in the province of Vercelli, Piedmont,
northern Italy Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative regions ...
. It is the oldest ''Sacro Monte'', founded in 1491 by Franciscan friar 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 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 and 45 chapels, 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, in wood and terracotta, that dramatically illustrate the life, passion, death and resurrection of Christ. These interiors are vividly decorated with
fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
paintings. The
Sacro Monte The (plural of , Italian for "Sacred Mountain") of Piedmont and Lombardy are a series of nine calvaries or groups of chapels and other architectural features created in northern Italy during the late sixteenth century and the seventeenth century ...
area is divided into two distinct zones. The first, surrounded by plants, is set out like a sloping garden; here the chapels are positioned at strategic points along the path. Beginning with ''Adam and Eve'' or ''Original Sin'', they narrate the story of Christ, from the
Annunciation The Annunciation (from Latin '), also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the biblical tale of the announcement by the ange ...
until his arrival in Bethlehem. The second zone, preceded by the ''Porta Aurea'', is located on the summit, and is built up of palazzi and elaborate
portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...
s, 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; it does indeed have a city feel about it. The chapels narrate the events of Christ's life inside and around the walls of Jerusalem; 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 The (plural of , Italian for "Sacred Mountain") of Piedmont and Lombardy are a series of nine calvaries or groups of chapels and other architectural features created in northern Italy during the late sixteenth century and the seventeenth century ...
clearly distinguishes it from the others.


History

The present layout of the
Sacro Monte The (plural of , Italian for "Sacred Mountain") of Piedmont and Lombardy are a series of nine calvaries or groups of chapels and other architectural features created in northern Italy during the late sixteenth century and the seventeenth century ...
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 *Bernardi ...
, 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 might see Jerusalem”. After his death in 1499, father Candido Ranzo and father Francesco da Marignano, continued his work. Helped by Gaudenzio Ferrari 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 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 The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...
, all the events of Jesus’s life were to be represented, the passion and his death. 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 The (plural of , Italian for "Sacred Mountain") of Piedmont and Lombardy are a series of nine calvaries or groups of chapels and other architectural features created in northern Italy during the late sixteenth century and the seventeenth century ...
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 Galeazzo Alessi played a decisive role in the renovation work, as did the Perugian architect
Domenico Alfiano Domenico is an Italian given name for males and may refer to: People * Domenico Alfani, Italian painter * Domenico Allegri, Italian composer * Domenico Alvaro, Italian mobster * Domenico Ambrogi, Italian painter * Domenico Auria, Italian archit ...
, and Valsesians Giovanni d’Enrico and
Bartolomeo Ravelli Bartolomeo or Bartolommeo is a masculine Italian given name, the Italian equivalent of Bartholomew. Its diminutive form is Baccio. Notable people with the name include: * Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo (1824–1860), Italian paleobotanist and li ...
. The sculptors, Tabacchetti, Giovanni D’Enrico, and painters like il Morazzone, Tanzio, Rocca, the Gherardini brothers, and the Gianoli brothers worked in the same artistic vein established by Gaudenzio Ferrari. However, Morazzone and the d’Enrico brothers, Giovanni and Tanzio, helped concretize the ''gran teatro montano''.


See also

*
Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...
* Poor Man's Bible * Santa Maria delle Grazie *The sacromonti are part of the historic-devotional hiking and biking Path of Saint Charles, part of CoEur European paths


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, ''Elogio dell'arte novarese'',
De Agostini De Agostini S.p.A. is an Italian holding company that coordinates the strategic operating companies De Agostini Editore, De Agostini Communications, IGT, and DeA Capital, and makes financial investments, among which the main investment is a ...
, 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, 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, ...
, 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 Silvana or Sylvana, meaning "one who lives in the forest" in Latin, is a female given name. Notable people with the name include: * Silvana Arbia (born 1952), Italian judge and prosecutor * Silvana Arias (born 1982), Peruvian actress * Silvana Ar ...
, 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, 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


Official site: Sacro Monte di Varallo

Sacro Monte di Varallo
{{Coord, 45, 49, 07, N, 8, 15, 17, E, display=title, region:IT-VC_type:landmark_source:dewiki Buildings and structures in Piedmont World Heritage Sites in Italy Varallo Tourist attractions in Piedmont 1491 establishments in Europe 15th-century establishments in Italy Varallo Sesia