PhD Program in Historical studies
Ghiffa, Domodossola and Ossuccio
The Sacro Monte of Ghiffa, or Sacro Monte della Santa Trinità (Sacred Mountain of the Holy Trinity), stands on the wooded side of Mount Carciago, about 360 metres above sea level, above the village of Ronco. On the site, from which you can enjoy a beautiful view of Lake Maggiore, a building of worship, an ancient chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was already present in the Middle Ages. At the end of the sixteenth century an expansion plan of the oratory (completed in 1617) and building of the Sacro Monte around it began. During the seventeenth century and the first decades of the next century the works were completed, with the construction of the bell tower, the three chapels (dedicated to the Coronation of the Virgin, Saint John the Baptist and Abraham) and the portico of the Via Crucis (photo).
The Mattarella hill, overlooking Domodossola, was chosen by two Capuchin friars, in 1656, for the construction of the local Sacro Monte Calvario (Sacred Mountain of Cavalry). The work was supported with enthusiasm by the local community and the diocese and advanced rapidly in subsequent years, especially with the help of important economic benefactors. During the eighteenth century the chapels were completed, then restored and enhanced many times to the present day. The complex became especially better known following the arrival, in 1828, of the priest and philosopher Antonio Rosmini, and even today the Sacro Monte of Domodossola is home to the international Postulate and Novitiate of the Rosminians fathers. The current structure is composed of 12 richly decorated chapels with statues and frescoes representing the Stations of the Cross, plus three others commemorating the Deposition from the Cross, the Holy Sepulchre and the Resurrection. On top of the hill is the Santuario del S.S. Crocifisso (Sanctuary of the the most Holy Crucifix), built in Baroque style, with an octagonal plan and a single nave.
The Sacro Monte of Ossuccio is instead located on the western shore of Lake Como, opposite the Comacina Island, on a cliff over 400 metres above sea level. Surrounded by woods and fields, away from any other building, the place has an ancient history as the seat of pagan temples especially dedicated to the worship of the goddess Ceres. The Sacro Monte consists of 14 Baroque chapels (photo: chapel XIV), built between 1635 and 1710, which retain 230 life-size statues in stucco and tile all in fine artistic workmanship. The chapels, representing the Mysteries of the Rosary, leading to the fifteenth stage, the Shrine of the Beata Vergine del Soccorso (Our Lady of Salvation).