Sacro Monte di Ossuccio
Encyclopedia
The Sacro Monte di Ossuccio (literally ‘Sacred Mount of Ossuccio
’) is one of the nine sacri monti in the Italian
regions of Lombardy
and Piedmont
which were inscribed on the UNESCO
list of World Heritage Sites in 2003.
The devotional complex is located on a prealpine crag some 200 metres above the western shore Lake Como
, facing Isola Comacina
and some 25 km from the city of Como
. Surrounded by olive
groves and woodland, it is quite isolated from other buildings. The fourteen chapels, constructed between 1635 and 1710 in the typical Baroque
style reflecting the Counter Reformation ethos of the sacre monte movement, are joined by a path which leads up to a pre-existing sanctuary of 1532 placed on the summit and dedicated to La Beata Vergine del Soccorso.
Ossuccio
Ossuccio is a comune in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy. It is located on the western shore of Lake Como some 20 km northeast of Como...
’) is one of the nine sacri monti in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
regions of Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
and Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
which were inscribed on the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
list of World Heritage Sites in 2003.
The devotional complex is located on a prealpine crag some 200 metres above the western shore Lake Como
Lake Como
Lake Como is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 km², making it the third largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore...
, facing Isola Comacina
Isola Comacina
Isola Comacina is a small wooded island of Italy’s Lake Como, administratively a part of the commune of Ossuccio. It is located close to the western shore of the Como arm of the lake in front of a gulf known as Zoca de l'oli, a dialectal name referring to the local small-scale production of olive...
and some 25 km from the city of Como
Como
Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy.It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como....
. Surrounded by olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
groves and woodland, it is quite isolated from other buildings. The fourteen chapels, constructed between 1635 and 1710 in the typical Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
style reflecting the Counter Reformation ethos of the sacre monte movement, are joined by a path which leads up to a pre-existing sanctuary of 1532 placed on the summit and dedicated to La Beata Vergine del Soccorso.
| The Chapels | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | The Annunciation | VIII | The Crowning with Thorns | |
| II | The Visitation | IX | The Ascent of Calvary | |
| III | The Nativity | X | The Crucifixion | |
| IV | The Presentation at the Temple | XI | The Resurrection | |
| V | The Disputation between Jesus and the Doctors in the Temple |
XII | The Ascension | |
| VI | The Oration at Gethsemane | XIII | Pentecost | |
| VII | The Flagellation | XIV | The Assumption of the Virgin |