Travel in space and time for teleportation, places of the spirit, visual catechisms, open-air museums, elevation of the soul immersed in breathtaking views and the sacred art of the best school. This and more are the nine Sacred Mountains of Piedmont and Lombardy, sites Unesco World Heritage from 2003.
On the way between earth and Heaven
These are open-air paths, ascending towards the summit (usually a sanctuary) whose stages are characterized by "chapels", or three-dimensional representations (statuary complexes on frescoed backgrounds, of great artistic value) of the passion of Jesus , of the mysteries of the rosary or of the life of St. Francis of Assisi.
They are located in pleasant alpine valleys, between hills, vineyards and lake views. Seven of them are in Piedmont (Varallo, Orta, Crea, Oropa, Ghiffa, Domodossola and Belmonte) and two in Lombardy (Varese and Ossuccio).
The idea of the Sacred Mountains
But who came up with this peculiar idea? The first Sacro Monte I say Varallo, in Valsesia (Piedmont). It dates back to the end of 1500, when the Franciscan friar Bernardino Caimi decided to propose representations of some places in the Holy Land linked to the life of Christ. It was not easy to be able to visit those places in person ... indeed, it was a dream that could be achieved by a very few lucky ones. So ... why not make our people live a similar spiritual experience, the faithful people, as Pope Francis would call it today? Like this famous artists of the time they were engaged in this ambitious project: to build scenes from the life of Jesus Christ "in his land", through life-size statues, in color and with period clothes and realistically painted backgrounds.
Un an influencer for the Sacri Monti, starting from Varallo
The idea of the Sacro Monte was successful. It was a new tool to tell the faithful the sacred story, in an engaging and evocative way. A way of living and rekindling faith, proposing the practice of the journey on foot (the pilgrimage) as a metaphor for the interior journey towards God, to find him on earth, as an anticipation of the encounter with him in heaven. Let's imagine the first groups of faithful-pilgrims. It must have been truly an unprecedented experience, a spiritual jolt to the quiet, wretched life of the poor peasants, artisans and traders of the time. One of the first fans of the idea, and enthusiastic pilgrim (today we could call him an influencer) was none other than the then cardinal of Milan and later saint Charles Borromeo. The beloved bishop visited several times Varallo, where he stayed convalescent even shortly before dying.
Varese, between lakes and hills
Thus other experiences were born in the Piedmontese and Lombard pre-Alps. And what the official website promises is really true: they are "ideal places for tourism sensitive to art, the spectacle of nature and the values of spirituality". We say this with full knowledge of the facts, since the writer was able to visit and experience the sacred mountains of Varallo, Varese and Orta.
The Sacro Monte of Varese, for example, it was also visited by Pope John Paul II, as well as by Paul VI when he was archbishop of Milan, the diocese in which he is located. It consists of fourteen chapels dedicated to the mysteries of the Rosary, which lead to the sanctuary of Santa Maria del Monte, a place of pilgrimage since the Middle Ages, when two hermits settled there, today blessed, and where the lively cloistered convent of the Romite Ambrosiane still exists. .
Faith rooted since the origins of Christianity
The place is landscape and naturalistically suggestive, and is now part of a protected regional area, the Campo dei Fiori Regional Park. The path, a wide cobbled path of over two kilometers that touches the 14 chapels, is immersed in the beech and chestnut woods. The view, halfway up the Campo dei Fiori mountain, sweeps over the city of Varese and the lakes that adorn its surroundings.
Faith has been alive here for centuries. In addition to the blessed Caterina and Giuliana, it is said that in the place where the sanctuary dedicated to the Madonna is located (point of arrival of the route) already existed in XNUMXth century a small chapel erected by Sant'Ambrogio as thanks for the victory over the Aryans.
What is certain is the existence here of an XNUMXth century Romanesque sanctuary, of which the crypt remains today, perhaps built on an even earlier building.
The Sacred Mountains of Orta, Oropa, Ghiffa, Crea, Ossuccio, Domodossola and Belmonte
Ad Medium, on the shores of the enchanting lake of the same name, the Sacro Monte depicts the spiritual journey of St. Francis, the man who most resembled Christ. To Oropainstead - one of the most famous Sacred Mountains, as well as the most visited Marian sanctuary in the Alps - the 12 chapels invite you to retrace the life of Mary. Il Sacro Monte of Ghiffa is the smallest. It consists of three chapels and the sanctuary. It represents the Incoronata (the Madonna crowned Queen in Heaven), St. John the Baptist and Abraham. That of Crea, in Monferrato, presents Saint Eusebius and episodes from the life of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. osuccio, on the Lecco branch of Lake Como, houses 14 chapels and a sanctuary that allow you to immerse yourself in the mysteries of the rosary. The sacred mountains of Domodossola e Belmonteinstead, they reproduce the ascent to Calvary of Our Lord. The first culminates in the chapel of the resurrection. The second, in an ancient and pre-existing Marian sanctuary of the eleventh century.
Sacred Mountains 2.0
Today the sacred mountains are generally in excellent health. Most of them have been restructured in the near future, or they are in the making. In addition to the traditional way of visiting, some have been born more recently educational projects where i school pupils they practice storytelling, have created a board game, carry out research and develop the social initiative, with a QR map, geoblog and hashtag #sacrimontisocial. There is no excuse, then, for not letting yourself be attracted by the Sacred Mountains!
Main photo: “Marco 030783 sometimes they come back” in Flickr, CC license
