At 1,020 m above Campiglia Cervo, the Sanctuary of San Giovanni Battista d’Andorno—together with Oropa and Graglia—is the third major devotional complex raised on Biella’s heights since the early 17th century. Its origin centres on a rock grotto housing a 16th-century wooden statue of the Baptist and healing waters famed for eye ailments; from 1605 onward pilgrim flows spurred lodging and services. The present Baroque layout (1738–1781) follows Bernardo Antonio Vittone; the single-naved interior bears side chapels to Zachariah & Elizabeth and to St Joseph & the Immaculate, with frescoes by the Galliari brothers. A broad forecourt (1934) gathers the Hosteria, Hospice and former College; note the 18th-century octagonal fountain (burnell) and, in the beechwood, the bell-tower with the famed “Campanun” bell (1764).
Its Sacred Mount (begun in the 1600s) stages the ascent with hermit/penitent chapels—Anthony & Paul the Hermit, Hilarion, Jerome, Onuphrius, and Mary Magdalene Penitent—combining polychrome statuary and popular frescoes (Pietro Lace). Though outside the UNESCO listing, it holds notable historical and devotional significance. Between 1889–1897, Federico Rosazza financed a road and a 367-m tunnel towards Oropa, lined with eclectic shrines and belvederes. Shaped by generations from the 17th to 20th centuries, Andorno remains a spiritual and social landmark of the Upper Cervo Valley.
- Address
Frazione San Giovanni, 8, Campiglia Cervo, Italy - Web
https://www.santuariosangiovanni.it/ - Visiting Hours
Unknown - What to see
Chapels
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