Sacro Monte di Andorno
The Sacro Monte di Andorno (actually Sacro Monte San Giovanni Battista ) rises at an altitude of 1020 m in the Cervo valley above the village of Campiglia Cervo . Together with the Sacri Monti of Oropa and Graglia , it forms the third pilgrimage site that arose at the beginning of the 17th century on the heights around the city of Biella .
The pilgrimage church
The origins of the pilgrimage site depend on the widespread devotion to St. John the Baptist in the Cervo Valley. A popular tradition reports that some shepherds found a statue of the Baptist in a grotto and took it with them to the mountain pasture; The statue had returned to the grotto several times at night. A modest chapel was built around the grotto , which was later expanded into a pilgrimage church that opens to the right at the beginning of the nave. The water that drips down on the walls of the grotto is said to have miraculous powers, especially for curing eye diseases. Popular veneration is attested by a collection of votive offerings that has been made since the beginning of the 18th century .
The first construction was made from donations from the faithful and was completed in 1605. This is evidenced by the date that appears in an inscription in the gable of the Renaissance portal (HUMILES NON ELATI REPLEBUNT TEMPLUM DXX. M. IV 1605). The influx of the faithful who went to the pilgrimage site in processions was very numerous, so that it was soon necessary to erect additional buildings next to the church to accommodate the pilgrims. In the second half of the 17th century, a few chapels were built near the church, which showed representations from the life of the Baptist, but have not survived.
The baroque structure of the pilgrimage church is the result of a third construction phase (1738–1781), which developed from an extension of the sacristy and the choir , based on a plan by the architect Bernardo Antonio Vittone. On both sides of the nave there are two chapels, each of which is dedicated to St. Elisabeth and Zacharias (the Baptist's parents) and Mary and Joseph , the parents of Jesus, are consecrated. The cover forms a ribbed vault ; the frescoed part above the altar with the figures of the four evangelists comes from the Galliari brothers, who came from the nearby town of Andorno Micca . The paintings that adorn the church testify to the importance of local artists: Bernardino Galliari is the author of the altarpiece above the main altar, while Giovanni Antonio Cucchi from Campiglia Cervo (around 1674) created the paintings above the two altars on the left.
In 1934 the large square of 4000 m² was laid out in front of the pilgrimage site, which is surrounded by the buildings of the inn, the hospice and the college; Inside there is a well from the 18th century made of local stone.
Chapels
The original plan for the construction of the chapels of the Sacro Monte di Andorno, dating back to the mid-17th century, has not been preserved. There were three chapels as early as 1661. In 1700 it was agreed to build more chapels on the mule track that leads from Campiglia Cervo to the pilgrimage site. Two of the chapels mentioned in the surviving documents were located near the pilgrimage site. The multi-colored, life-size statues depict scenes of the Visitation of Mary and the Annunciation of the Angel to Zacharias. These chapels were demolished in the 20th century to widen the driveway.
The five preserved chapels are located along the gravel road that leads from the outskirts of Campiglia up to the beech forest slopes to the pilgrimage site. Your equipment is in poor condition. The statues were made from terracotta by an anonymous artist, while the 18th century frescoes are by the painter Pietro Lace from Andorno. The works testify to the devotion to the holy hermits like St. John the Baptist was met by the people: the path of prayer shows a number of saints who were mainly characterized by an ascetic and penitent life: the first chapel is representations from the life of St. Dedicated to Anthony and Paul of Thebes , the second and third to St. Hilarion of Gaza and Hieronymus , then one each to St. Onophrios and Mary Magdalene .
Presumably because of the poor condition of the chapels, the Sacro Monte di Andorno was not included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site like the Sacri Monti of Lombardy and Piedmont .
bibliography
- Centini, Massimo, I Sacri Monti nell'arco alpino italiano , Priuli & Verlucca, Ivrea, 1990
Web links
Coordinates: 45 ° 39 ′ 30.3 " N , 7 ° 59 ′ 36.5" E