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

Varallo Sesia Varallo Sesia (Piedmontese: ''Varal''), pronunciation (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 The province of Vercelli () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital is Vercelli. , it has an area of and a total population of some 176,000. It is an area known for the cultivation of rice. Main sights ...

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

northern Italy Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...

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

Franciscan friar The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest contem ...

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 an ...

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

Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy 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 centu ...

, included in the

UNESCO World Heritage World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by int ...

list.

Structures

The Sacro Monte at Varallo comprises the

minor basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

and 45

chapels A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are o ...

, 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 ...

, in wood and terracotta, that dramatically illustrate the life, passion, death and resurrection of Christ. These interiors are vividly decorated with

fresco Fresco ( 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 plaster, the painting become ...

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 ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

, from the

Annunciation The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Ma ...

until his arrival in

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

. 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 cu ...

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 Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

; 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 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, 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 travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

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

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.Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...

, all the events of Jesus’s life were to be represented, the

passion Passion, the Passion or the Passions may refer to: Emotion * Passion (emotion), a very strong feeling about a person or thing * Passions (philosophy), emotional states as used in philosophical discussions * Stoic passions, various forms of emotio ...

and his

death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

. 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 th ...

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

Valsesia Valsesia (; Walser German: ''Tseschrutol'') 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 here are Varallo Sesia, Borgosesia ...

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 a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

il Morazzone Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli (commonly known as il Morazzone; 1573–1626) was an Italian painter and draughtsman who was active in Milan. He is mainly known for his altarpieces, but his outstanding achievements are large decorative frescoes ...

, 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''. Giacomo Paracca completed the sculptural group depicting Massacre of the Innocents circa 1600.

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 i ...

, ''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, International Game Technology, IGT, and DeA Capital, and makes financial investments, among w ...

, 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 () or Skirophoria () in the calendar of ancient Athens, closely associated with the Thesmophoria, marked the dissolution of the old year in May/June. Description At Athens, the last month of the year was '' Skiropho ...

, 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 liter ...

, 2009. * Elena De Filippis, ''Guida del Sacro Monte di Varallo'', Tipolitografia, Borgosesia 2009. * Fabio Tononi, “Intermediality and Immersion in Gaudenzio Ferrari’s ''Adoration of the Magi'' in Chapel V of the Sacred Mountain of Varallo”, ''PsicoArt: Rivista di Arte e Psicologia'', Vol. 10 (2020), pp. 1–18.

Gallery

File:Varallo Sesia Sacro Monte di Varallo 001.JPG, View of ''Supra montem'' File:Sacro Monte di Varallo-parco e gruppo cappelle II-III-IV.JPG, View of the park and chapels Image:Sacro Monte Varallo 2.JPG, Chapels of the Annunciation (structure with chapels II, III, IV) Image:Varallo Sesia Sacro Monte di Varallo 002.JPG, Chapel XXVIII, ''Gesù al tribunale di Erode'' Image:Sacro Monte Varallo 3.jpg, Square of the Basilica, ''La fontana e la chiesa del S. Sepolcro'' Image:Sacro Monte Varallo 4.JPG, Façade of the Basilica

External links