Sacro Monte di Varese, Religious pilgrimage site in Varese, Italy
Sacro Monte di Varese is a devotional complex of fourteen chapels dedicated to the Mysteries of the Rosary, linked by a cobblestone road over two kilometres long on the slopes of Monte Orona, in the Campo dei Fiori Regional Park. The route ends at the Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Monte, the fifteenth chapel, at 807 metres above sea level. The chapels, designed from 1604 by Giuseppe Bernascone, hold seventeenth-century statues and frescoes from Milanese workshops.
The sanctuary originated in the fourth century from a small chapel built by Sant'Ambrogio and was expanded into a Romanesque sanctuary by the eleventh century. The fourteen chapels visible today were added later and reflect shifts in faith and artistic expression over time.
Each chapel along the path represents a Mystery of the Rosary and displays architectural styles ranging from Mannerism to Baroque, created by different Italian artists. Together, these buildings guide visitors through sacred stations while remaining integrated with the mountain environment.
The cobblestone Holy Road runs about two kilometres from the first chapel up to Santa Maria del Monte, passing all fourteen chapels. The restored Vellone–Sacro Monte funicular links a parking area at the Prima Cappella with the top and runs on Saturdays and Sundays through most of the year. The route lies inside the Campo dei Fiori Regional Park.
In 2021 asteroid 113671 Sacromonte, discovered in 2002 by amateur astronomer Luca Buzzi at the Schiaparelli Observatory, was named after this site. The name was formally approved by the Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature on 14 May 2021.
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