SACRO MONTE of OROPA Locarno (CH)
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SACRI MONTI OF PIEDMONT AND LOMBARDY Briga (CH) SACRO MONTE OF OROPA Locarno (CH) United Nations Sacri Monti del Piemonte Surface Area: 1500 hectares Educational, Scientific and e della Lombardia Riserva speciale DOMODOSSOLA Cultural Organization Iscritti nella lista del Patrimonio Sacro Monte Lugano (CH) Mondiale nel 2003 di Oropa Elevation: 750 - 2388 metres GHIFFA SS33 Environment: Mountain SS34 Verbania Property: Sanctuary of Oropa OSSUCCIO SS340 Sacro Monte Aosta-Ginevra (CH) VARALLO VARESE Como ORTA A26 SP229 A9 OROPA A8-A26 A5 SP299 A8 of Oropa SP144 Borgomanero Biella Romagnano SP338 Venezia PROTECTED AREA SP230 A4 Cuorgné Ivrea The valley of Oropa represents the striking environmental SS565 A4-A5 Novara MILANO and scenic setting housing the devotional complex of A. Langhi Valperga Vercelli Bologna the Sanctuary and the Sacro Monte di Oropa. From BELMONTE A4 Firenze Photo SP460 Roma SP590 A26-A4 an environmental standpoint, it hosts the richest A26 Serralunga carabidological wildlife of Piedmont, both for its SP457 Casale Monferrato endemic and variety of species and for the size of its CREA TORINO populations. The Reserve extends within the Conca di Savona Moncalvo Alessandria-Genova Oropa in a 1500-hectares territory between 750-2388 metres above sea level. The area of the Sanctuary and Sacro Monte is surrounded by woods, mostly formed by Access to the Sacred Mount is free of charge beeches, sometimes pure, but more frequently mixed HOW TO GET THERE with mountain maples and ashes at lower altitudes, and By car: from Turin, motorway A4 exit Santhià direction Biella with laburnums and mountain ashes at higher elevations. from Milan, A4 exit Carisio direction Biella Locally, between 1600 and 1700 metres, are areas with from Aosta, A5 exit Santhià direction Biella; from Biella, SS 144 mugo pines of anthropic origin. Recent floral research By train: connections with Santhià-Turin and Novara-Milan - www.trenitalia.com By bus: urban line n. 2 Biella-Oropa, info: ATAP tel 800912716 - www.atapspa.it has enabled establish a list of at least 800 species Conca Info: Local public transportation: PRONTO TPL - tel 800333444 di Oropa, a very high number justified by the variety of The TPL ready service is being reorganized http://prontotpl.5t.torino.it/ environments present in the area. The wildlife is typical INFORMATION A. Langhi of the alpine environment: marmots, ermines, alpine Ente di gestione dei Sacri Monti Riserva Speciale Sacro Monte di Oropa (I) Photo hares, white partridges, black grouses, roes, squirrels, Via Santuario di Oropa, 480 - 13900 Biella - Oropa (BI) beech-martens, weasels and foxes inhabit these A. Langhi tel +39 015 25551200 - fax 015 25551219 Photo [email protected] - https://www.sacrimonti.org/en/sacro-monte-di-oropa mountains. Also present are eagles, black woodpeckers, red partridges, tree-climbing wood-peckers, alpine SERVICES choughs and imperial crows. The valley features a series Ufficio Accoglienza e Ospitalità - tel +39 015 25551200 [email protected] - www.santuariodioropa.it of interesting floristic elements, such as the Polygonum Sanctuary Canonico Rettore - tel +39 015 25551220 Alpinum, the Campanula Incisa and the Pedicularis SACRI MONTI Ufficio Offerte e SS. Messe - tel +39 015 25551223 HISTORY Cenisia, while rocky areas are house to the rare Achillea UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE Restaurants Moschata The Sacro Monte of Oropa is embraced by a spectacular . The Oropa Valley has glacial origins, modelled info: www.santuariodioropa.it/ristoranti by alpine glaciers which during the Pleistocene age, “The nine Sacri Monti of Northern Italy are groups of chapels Conference Hall (D) alpine scenario at 1,200 metres above sea level, just a between 10,000 and 70,000 years ago, were more and other architectural handmade works built between the info: tel +39 015 25551200 - [email protected] XVI and XVII century dedicated to different aspects of the short distance from the city of Biella. The Sanctuary and widespread compared to today and reached up to the Area Camper Sacro Monte complex is considered the most important Christian faith. Besides their symbolic and spiritual meaning, info: tel +39 015 25551200 - [email protected] - www.santuariodioropa.it upper Po Plain. The steady and unceasing movement of they feature notable characteristics of beauty, virtue and Guided Tours place of Marian worship of the alpine area. The Sacro the glacier made the original valley progressively grow, info: tel +39 015 25551200 - [email protected] charm as they blend in with natural and scenic environments Monte was built between 1617 and 1620 by initiative of up to the current U-shape, typical of valleys shaped by of hills, woods and lakes. They also contain very important Tourist Office the Capuchin Friar, Father Fedele da San Germano. Its Piazza V. Veneto, 3 - 13900 Biella glaciers. The Sacro Monte di Oropa is a protected area of artistic remains (frescoes and statues)”. This is the motivation tel +39 015 351128 - fax +39 015 34612 - [email protected] - www.atl.biella.it construction coincided with extensive transformation Regione Piemonte (2005) and since 2012 it has been part according to which in 2003 UNESCO included the “Sacri Monti MUST SEE interventions promoted by the Savoia Family on the of Ente di Gestione dei Sacri Monti. di Piemonte e Lombardia” site in its World Heritage List. This Cableways and Adventure Park - info: tel +39 015 2455929 buildings of the vast monumental complex dedicated to prestigious acknowledgement confers universal value to seven [email protected] - [email protected] - www.funivieoropa.it the Black Madonna. As opposed to other cases, where Sacri Monti of Piedmont (Belmonte, Crea, Domodossola, Ghiffa, Botanical Garden (A) Oropa, Orta and Varallo) and two of Lombardy (Ossuccio and info: tel + 39 015 2523058 - [email protected] - www.gboropa.it the noble families financed the construction of the Varese), highlighting the extraordinary richness, qualities Museo dei Tesori di Oropa (E) - tel +39 015 25551200 religious complexes, it was the parish communities and TRACKS AND WALKS Osservatorio Meteosismico and values of these historical, artistic and nature gems. The tel +39 015 25551307 - [email protected] - www.osservatoriodioropa. the districts of the city of Biella, along with the Duke of The park territory offers many chapels series depicts episodes and mysteries of sacred life it Savoia, that funded the construction of the chapels. The opportunities to those willing to through statues, paintings and frescos while blending in with Museo del Territorio Biellese” - tel +39 015 2529345 - fax +39 015 2432791 [email protected] - www.museodelterritorio.biella.it Sacro Monte is composed by twelve chapels dedicated to take a walk in the enchanting Oropa the embracing environment and contributing in defining the Riserva Naturale Speciale Parco Burcina “F. Piacenza” - Pollone (BI) the Virgin’s life. The original project provided for a series valley: the mountains embracing features of each monumental complex. Valuable examples of tel +39 015 2563007 - Sito web off-line of twenty chapels widely recounting significant episodes landscape architecture, the Sacri Monti represent an important LINKS the area of the Sanctuary and Sacro meeting point for believers and lovers of art. First arising on the Commune of Biella - www.comune.biella.it of Mary’s life, known thanks to the Sacred Scriptures and Monte are offer a striking view over western Alps, where this phenomenon originated more than Unesco Italia - www.unesco.it the Apocryphal Gospels. The aediculae feature various five hundred years ago, the Sacri Monti then inspired similar Regione Piemonte turismo - www.visitpiemonte.com the plain and from the opposite types of layouts: central circular, rectangular, oval or side, one can enjoy views of the Val models in many parts of Catholic Europe. The seven Sacri Monti of Piedmont are part of the protected area system of Regione cross- shaped. The chapels are set out in two parallel d’Aosta peaks which can be reach rows and aligned along a zigzag-pattern path. The Sacro Piemonte which provides for historical and artistic preservation, Monte was built in three main construction phases: in taking the cableway connecting the maintenance and protection of the surrounding environment. Ente di gestione dei Sacri Monti (legal seat) the first decades of the XVII century, with the activity Sanctuary to Monte Camino. ON foot AMONG THE Sacri Monti - UNESCO s.r.l. Borgosesia Grafica Industria Documentation Centre of the European Sacred Mounts, Calvaries and Devotional Complexes The Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy, a path where to meet art, Cascina Valperone, 1 - 15020 Ponzano Monferrato (AL) of the Valsesia modellers of the d’Enrico team, in late The 15 heterogeneous tracks satisfy landscape and spirituality tel +39 0141 927120 - fax +39 0141 927800 XVII century and early XVIII century with Bartolomeo every need: from peaceful and A. Langhi The Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy are connected by an [email protected] - https://www.sacrimonti.org/ articulated pedestrian path that intersects and overlaps the ancient Termine and Agostino Silva, and then with modellers relaxing strolls to the via ferratas for Photo Carlo Francesco and Giuseppe Auregio and the painter Italian and European devotional paths. the more adventurous. The complete route of the Devoto cammino dei Sacri Monti is being Sacri Monti - Official #sacrimontisocial sacrimontidelpiemonte and printing layout Graphic Giovanni Galliari. updated but it can be largely downloaded from the website www.sacrimonti.org THE CHAPELS Chapel 8 - Natività di Gesù (The Nativity of Jesus) Chapel 1 - Immacolata concezione (The Immaculate Conception) Built by the shepherds of the Oropa Valley who chose this mystery Commissioned by some districts of the town of Biella, it is surrounded connected to the rural world. Duke Charles Emmanuel II funded its by a nice colonnade supported by 22 columns made with local construction which houses an extraordinary real dimension crib, one stone. The internal scene is dominated by a large dragon, symbol of of the most ancient of the area.