Information- The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso is certainly one of the most spectacular sacred places on Lake Orta. It is located in front of Orta San Giulio and can be easily reached from the holiday home on Lake Orta by boat from the Orta pier. Once in Pella, a car ride, with several curves, will lead the visitor to the " Balcone del Cusio ".
By car: A26 motorway, Borgomanero toll booth. Pass the town of Borgomanero and, via the SR 229, reach Gozzano. Then through the provincial roads n. 45 and 46, along the western coast road of Lake Orta, reach the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso.
Malpensa airport is 45 km from the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso By train: the nearest train station is Gozzano (10 km).
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Geographical description– The municipality of Madonna del Sasso extends on the top of a granite formation which for decades has been tirelessly worked by the so-called "pica sass", i.e. stonecutters. From from this promontory overlooking Lake Orta you can enjoy one of the most evocative views of Lake Orta. In fact, looking out from the open space in front of the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso the view is unsurpassable: it dominates Lake Orta and the mountains of the eastern coast including Mottarone. When admired from afar, from the opposite shore of the lake, the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso appears in all its grandeur: built on a granite spur at a height of 638 metres, it literally dominates the western shore of the Cusio.
A bit of history- This sacred complex, built in the first half of the 18th century on the site of a pre-existing late medieval chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, consists of the church, the bell tower and the parish house. The sanctuary, with a Greek cross and circular apse, is surmounted by a large frescoed dome which projects an inlaid star onto the floor.
Inside the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso there is a large pictorial cycle by Lorenzo Peracino, a Valsesian painter and sculptor who left his mark on numerous churches in Cusio and Ossola. On the main altar you can admire the splendid 1547 painting by Fermo Stella da Caravaggio, a disciple of Gaudenzio Ferrari, depicting the Deposition of Christ. Of particular interest is the monumental 51st century organ made up of 700 pipes and a 58-key keyboard.
The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso is the arrival point of the "Le Valli della Fede" hiking route, an itinerary that connects the minor sanctuaries of central and eastern Biella with Lake Orta. The route of this route is inspired by the route that San Carlo Borromeo presumably repeated several times during the years in which he was archbishop of Milan (1565-1584). In the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso the cult of the Holy Mother is very ancient and has given rise to numerous legends.
Among the best known is that of the shepherd who, having fallen asleep while grazing his sheep and goats, rested on a large stone placed on the spur of rock balancing on the precipice. While he was resting, a terrible storm hit the entire area and not only did he not notice anything, but he remained balanced on the stone and woke up sitting on the solid ground. The unwary shepherd, amazed, wanted to build a small church to thank the Virgin, right on the place where he had fallen asleep Other legends instead tell of the beautiful Maria of Pella who, threatened by some Spanish soldiers, threw herself from the spur to safeguard her honor. In another version, it is her husband who throws her blinded by her jealousy for fear of having been betrayed during her absence due to a mission at the Rocca di Angera. The population, moved by the girl's death, first placed a cross there and then built a church.
A third legend tells that a group of stonecutters risked being overwhelmed by an enormous granite boulder that had detached itself from the quarry. Unable to escape, the workers begged the Madonna who diverted the path of the boulder which fell further away. When they approached the boulder they discovered that on top of it there was a small statue of the Virgin; they took her and carried her to the Chapel of San Mauro. But the following morning the statuette had miraculously returned to the boulder and did so many times, each time it was moved from the boulder. So it was decided that the Virgin's place had to be there on the cliff forever.
What to see and what to do- In the sacristy of the Madonna del Sasso, a statuette of the Madonna del Rosario, by an unknown author, believed to be miraculous, was preserved in a niche. Above the main altar there is a painting depicting the Pietà by Fermo Stella da Caravaggio, from 1547. On the altar on the left there is the urn with the bones and blood of San Donato. The inhabitants of the area raised prayers to him in fear of lightning and hail. San Donato, a martyr found in the catacombs of San Callisto in Rome, is depicted with a thick beard, helmet, sword and cloak in the act of stopping a bolt of lightning that was unleashing on the town.
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