Discovering the Sacro Monte of Belmonte

 Today we are in Canavese with this other wonderful complex.

The Sacro Monte di Belmonte is located at the beginning of the Orco Valley and dominates the municipality of Valperga, which is located in the Canavese area of Piedmont.


Recent archaeological excavations have ascertained that the hill was inhabited in prehistoric times, and signs of Longobard settlements and important clues dating back to the late Roman Empire and the early Middle Ages have also been found.

The Sanctuary is located at the centre of two different groups of chapels and two separate routes.

From Valperga, an uphill path, carved into the red granite of the mountain in the second half of the 19th century, leads to the church. When you reach the top, you have the chance to admire the wide panorama sweeping over the Canavese. In addition, one is enchanted by the extraordinary natural beauty of the place, where the red colour of the granite alternates with the green colour of the vegetation and the sandy gullies, the sabbionere of Belmonte.

Walking along the cobblestone pavement that ends at the Sanctuary, one discovers fifteen pillars, whose frescoed niches represent the Mysteries of the Rosary.

The Chronicle of Fruttuaria claims that the founder of the church was Arduino d'Ivrea, the first king of Italy from 1002 to 1014.

Historical documents testify that, as early as 1197, a church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary stood here, while another document from 1203 states that the place became the seat of a Benedictine priory dependent on the Abbey of Fruttuaria.

In the 17th century, the Franciscan friars settled there, who, next to their monastery, rebuilt the Sanctuary and designed the devotional complex that stretches along a ring-shaped route comprising thirteen chapels.

The construction of Sacro Monte di Belmonte took place in the early 18th century thanks to the intervention of the Franciscan friar Michelangelo da Montiglio, who, returning from the Holy Land and taking inspiration from other Sacred Mountains, thought of translating a route representing the Passion of Jesus Christ into reality.

For the realisation of the work, local artists were called in, but remained unknown.

Before long, the first chapels were built, but the completion of the entire complex came in 1825 with the construction of the thirteenth chapel. The one added in 1872 was used as a burial ground for the families of the Counts of Valperga.

A large bronze statue of St Francis of Assisi, weighing one tonne, was placed on the highest part of the hill and is the work of the sculptor Giovanni Vogliazzi of Vercelli.

In the 19th century, the present façade of the church was built and the painter Giacomo Grosso created the pictorial decoration of the tympanum depicting the effigy of the Madonna of Belmonte, which is considered miraculous, as evidenced by the numerous votive offerings placed in the gallery attached to the church.

The Sacro Monte di Belmonte is considered a World Heritage Site and, therefore, a UNESCO-protected property. It is also part of a large protected natural area of the Region of Piedmont.

(Photo: The Sacro Monte of Belmonte (from umvalgallenca.it))

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