The Path of Faith: from Fontainemore to Oropa
A centuries-old pilgrimage of devotion, tradition and mountains. We follow the people of the Lys Valley on their journey to Our Lady of Oropa. The Fontainemore procession, also known as the Procession of Oropa , is a pilgrimage that takes place every five years at the end of July. During this deeply symbolic event, thousands of people set off from the tiny village of Fontainemore, nestled in the heart of the Lys Valley in the Aosta Valley, to make their way across the Biellese Alps to the Sanctuary of Oropa in Piedmont. It is one of the oldest religious processions in the region, dating back to the 16th century. The earliest records mention the year 1547, but local tradition places its origins even earlier, in 1522, when the Virgin Mary is said to have miraculously appeared and saved the village of Fontainemore from a deadly outbreak of plague. Since that time, the villagers have organised the procession as an act of devotion and gratitude, as well as to ask for protection from na...