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Sanctuary of Oropa

Sanctuary of Oropa

Filippo Juvarra

Photo: Mattis · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Location
Biella, Italy
Client / Owner
—
Year
Completed 1600
Access
Public
Typology
Spiritual
Style
Baroque

The Sanctuary of Oropa sits 3,802 feet (1,159 meters) above sea level and houses a Black Madonna statue of cedar of Lebanon. Legend says Saint Eusebius of Vercelli brought it from the Middle East in the fourth century, but the article dates it to the late thirteenth century, by a sculptor from Valle d'Aosta. In the Middle Ages a church was built around its niche, and in the early seventeenth century the Ancient Basilica replaced it.

Over the next two centuries more buildings were added, including royal apartments, a library and the Royal Gate designed by Filippo Juvarra. The Upper Basilica was built from 1885 to 1960, and its dome is 262 feet (80 meters) high. The infobox lists the style as mainly Baroque.

Bishop Giacomo Goria first crowned the image on August 30, 1620. About 800,000 pilgrims visit each year, and the Sacro Monte di Oropa, a path of twelve chapels, lies nearby.

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