The religious complex overlooking the city of Domodossola was built during the second half of the 17th century at a time when the ecclesiastical construction revival stemming from the Council of Trent was in full swing. The themes of the Sacro Monte devotional-catechistic route are the events of the Via Crucis and the Passion of Christ at Calvary. In 1828, not far from the Sanctuary, after a period of crisis and relative abandon, Abbot Antonio Rosmini founded the Institute of Charity, the congregation of the Rosmini priests who have contributed to the relaunching and restoration of the Sacro Monte, paying special attention to the natural environment with the creation of “gardens” and the introduction of oftentimes rare plants imported from across the ocean, such as the majestic sequoia and imposing conifers.
Today, the Monte Calvario complex consists of the Sanctuary del SS. Crocifisso, of the Oratory della Madonna delle Grazie, and of the “Via Crucis” with a succession of 15 chapels (one of the most admired on the canonic route). The chapel’s construction and decoration present a variety of ideas and styles. Among the sculptors who work in Domodossola is Dionigi Bussola, who created the chapel dedicated to the Deposition of Christ from the Cross and whose ten statues in polychrome terracotta form a composition of great dramatic impact.
Today, the Sacro Monte houses an important Spirituality Center open both to the religiously devoted, as well as the laity. In 1991, the Piedmont Region instituted the Sacro Monte Calvario Special Nature Reserve in Domodossola, inserting this area of great natural and environmental importance into the circuit of Piedmont parks.
