| Click on the photographs for full page descriptions, photographs and videos. |
| The nine Sacro Monte of the Italian lakes were developed for pilgrims in the 15th and 16th centuries as an alternative to traveling to the holy land. The chapels represent a religious concept that was developed at that time by the Order of Friars Minor Observants and San Carlo Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan. The project was the result of guidelines laid down by the Council of Trent to strengthen the catholic cause against the threat from the Lutheran reform in Germany. |
| Because it was not possible for most people to journey to the holy land, these miniature sacred churches were built to provide them with pilgrimage routes. The Sacro Monte are built on mountains or steep hillsides surrounded by parkland or nature reserves. The pilgrimage route leads uphill from chapel to chapel, each one representing either a station of the cross or a point in the life of the saint to which the shrine is dedicated. |
| Varese |
| Varallo Sesia |
| Santa Maria Assunta |
| Beate Vergine Oropa |
| Blessed Virgin |
| San Francesco |
| Belmonte |
| Calvario |
| Ghiffa |
| ©2007 |
Varese
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