Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy

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The Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy were chosen to become a World Heritage site in Northern Italy in the year 2003.

The nine Sacri Monti (Sacred Mountains) of northern Italy are groups of chapels and other architectural features created in the late 16th and 17th centuries and dedicated to different aspects of the Christian faith. In addition to their symbolic spiritual meaning, they are of great beauty by virtue of the skill with which they have been integrated into the surrounding natural landscape of hills, forests and lakes. They also house much important artistic material in the form of wall paintings and statuary.

The Nine Sacri Monti are:

1. The Sacro Monte or Nuova Gerusalemme (New Jerusalem) of Varallo Sesia (1486)

(Comune of Varallo Sesia - Vercelli)

2. The Sacro Monte of Santa Maria Assunta, Serralunga di Crea (1589)

(Comune of Ponzano Monferrato, Serralunga di Crea - Alessandria)

3. The Sacro Monte of San Francesco, Orta San Giulio (1590)

(Comune of Orta San Giulio - Novara)

4. The Sacro Monte of the Rosary, Varese (1598)

(Comune of Varese - Varese)

5. The Sacro Monte of the Blessed Virgin, Oropa (1617)

(Comune of Biella - Biella)

6. The Sacro Monte of the Blessed Virgin of Succour, Ossuccio (1635)

(Comune of Como - Como)

7. The Sacro Monte of the Holy Trinity, Ghiffa (1591)

(Comune of Ghiffa - Verbania)

8. The Sacro Monte and Calvary, Domodossola (1657)

(Comune of Domodossola - Verbania)

9. The Sacro Monte of Belmonte, Valperga (1712)

(Comunes of Cuorgnè, Pertusio, Prascorsano, Valperga - Torino)

[edit] External links

Unesco Site

The nine Sacro Monte of the Italian lakes. The nine Sacro Monte of the Italian lakes were developed for pilgrims in the 15th and 16th centuries as an alternative to traveling to the holy land.