Overlooking the plains of Turin and the alpine landscape of Canavese, the Sacred Mount of Belmonte is the youngest of the Piedmontese Sacri Monti included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It complements an ancient Marian sanctuary dating back to the 11th century, once home to Benedictine nuns.
The Franciscan friar Michelangelo da Montiglio, inspired by his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, designed a devotional path depicting the Passion of Christ through 13 chapels filled with life-sized statues and frescoes. Their striking realism, created by local anonymous artists, has long stirred deep emotion among pilgrims.
The area blends spiritual, artistic, and archaeological significance: discoveries include Bronze Age artifacts, Roman remains, and a Lombard fortified village from the 7th century. The sanctuary was rebuilt in 1620 and later renovated in Romanesque-Lombard style during the 19th century. Inside, a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, carved before 1600, is linked to miracles officially recognized by the Vatican in 1788.
The chapels form a circular route surrounded by oak and chestnut woods within a protected natural reserve. At the summit stands a large bronze statue of St. Francis (1960). Despite suffering a devastating fire in 2019, Belmonte remains a living expression of faith, art, and nature, and a landmark of Marian devotion in northern Italy.
- Address
Borgata Trucchi, 22, Valperga, Italy - Web
https://www.sacrimonti.org/ - Visiting Hours
Everyday from 9:00 to 19:00 - What to see
Way of the Cross, Statue of St Francis
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