Sanctuary of Oropa

Sanctuary of Oropa
Santuario della beata Vergine di Oropa[1]

View of the Ancient Basilica
Sanctuary of Oropa
45°37′42″N 7°58′44″E / 45.628333°N 7.978889°ECoordinates: 45°37′42″N 7°58′44″E / 45.628333°N 7.978889°E
Location Biella
Country Italy
Denomination Catholic
Website www.santuariodioropa.it/db/it/
History
Authorising papal bull 9th century
Dedication Black Virgin of Oropa
Architecture
Architectural type Mainly baroque
Completed 1960
Administration
Diocese Diocese of Biella

The Sanctuary of Oropa (Italian: santuario di Oropa), is a group of Roman Catholic buildings and structures in the municipality of Biella, Italy. It is located at a height of 1,159 metres in a small valley of the Alpi Biellesi.[2]

History

The Upper Basilica

According to legend, a black wooden statue of the Virgin Mary carved by Saint Luke was found in Jerusalem by Saint Eusebius of Vercelli and carried to Oropa in the 4th century AD[3] and placed into a small niche in a big boulder. Around that niche housing the statue in the Middle Ages was built first a church, which during the early 17th century was replaced with what is known today as the Ancient Basilica. In the following two centuries several other buildings were added to the complex, including the royal apartments of the House of Savoy, a big library and the Royal Gate, a masterpiece designed by the architect Filippo Juvarra in the 18th century.[3]

The last building added to the sanctuary was the Upper Basilica, a monumental church built between 1885 and 1960 due the large number of pilgrims visiting Oropa.[4] Its dome is 80 metres high and the church can hold 3000 people.[5]

In 1617, the construction of the Sacro Monte di Oropa (literally Sacred Mount of Oropa) was built not far from the sanctuary. It is a devotional path now composed of twelve chapels (plus another seven nearby) containing groups of statues representing scenes from the story of the Virgin Mary's life.

Pilgrimages

Around 800,000 pilgrims and one-hundred pilgrimages visit the sanctuary each year.[3]

Nature conservation

View from the Oropa-lago del Mucrone cableway

The mountain area surrounding the sanctuary is included in a regional park of 1,518.28 ha (code: EUAP0882) named Riserva Naturale Speciale del Sacro Monte di Oropa.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica da S. Pietro sino ai nostri giorni, specialmente intorno ai principali santi, beati ..., Gaetano Moroni, Tipografia Emiliana, 1840; books.google.it (accessed on February 2014)
  2. ↑ CTR (Carta Tecnica Regionale) 1:10.000, Regione Piemonte, Settore Cartografico and Settore Sistema Informativo Territoriale, 2007 raster version
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The sanctuary of Oropa, province of Biella tourist office; web page on www.atl.biella.it (accessed on February 2014)
  4. ↑ History of the sanctuary, official web-site www.santuariodioropa.it (accessed on February 2014)
  5. ↑ Santuario diOropa (BI), on www.camperontheroad.it (accessed on February 2014)
  6. ↑ Riserva Naturale Speciale del Sacro Monte di Oropa, description on www.parks.it (accessed on February 2014)

Other projects

Media related to Sacro Monte (Oropa) at Wikimedia Commons

External links