PhD Program in Historical studies
The Sacri Monti in Italy and Europe
In addition to the Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy, many others Sacred Mountains, Calvaries and Stations of the Cross are distributed in Italy and in the rest of Europe. As in the cases of Varallo, Varese, Ghiffa, Domodossola and Ossuccio, they are often complex and of great artistic value with extraordinary landscapes, built in locations with a long tradition of prayer and pilgrimage.
In the Italian context, including those dating back to the seventeenth century, there are the Sacri Monti of San Vivaldo, in Montaione (Tuscany) and the Seven Chapels of Monselice in Veneto. From the same period there is also the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca (Our Lady of Saint Luke) in Bologna, similar, in certain ways, to the Sacri Monti. Behind the Alps, often at short distance from the nine sanctuaries of Piedmont and Lombardy, there are other examples of Sacri Monti, such as those of Orsellina, near Locarno, Arona, Graglia, Campiglia Cervo, Coggiola, Borgosesia, Montà d’Alba, Brissago or Cerveno
In Europe, two other complexes similar to the Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy have been recognized by UNESCO, the World Heritage List. The Mount Calvary in Banská Stiavnica (photo 1), Slovakia, earned recognition by UNESCO in 1993. Built on the initiative of the Jesuit Franz Perger between 1744 and 1751, the complex clearly follows Baroque style. The 24 stations along the ascent, which recall scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary, lead to the church, which is characterized by its nave in the shape of an ellipse and lateral prismatic towers. The shrine of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska (photo 2) in southern Poland, on the other hand, received the UNESCO distinction in 1999. Located on the hillside of Zarek and on the slopes of Mount Lanckorona, 40 km south-west of Krakow, construction on the complex began in 1601. it consists of the Baroque Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, the convent of the Franciscan Friars Minor, and a series of chapels, also in Baroque style, which recall episodes of the Passion of Jesus and the life of the Virgin Mary.