Santuario della Madonna del Sasso

The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso stands on a granite spur above Lake Orta. Its late-Baroque Greek-cross church contains frescoes by Lorenzo Peracino and a sixteenth-century panel by Fermo Stella, preserved from an earlier sanctuary on the site.

Why it matters

The sanctuary combines a prominent place of pilgrimage with an eighteenth-century church and an important Renaissance painting. The panel of the Deposition, dated 1541 and painted by Fermo Stella da Caravaggio, was transferred from the earlier sanctuary into the later building. Its position above the lake and its continuing religious role connect the site to the history and devotional life of the Cusio.

What to notice

The church has a late-Baroque Greek-cross plan with two lateral altars. Lorenzo Peracino designed the architecture and painted the fresco cycle, giving the interior a unified character. The Deposition by Fermo Stella, dated 1541, predates the church by more than a century. The terrace above the lake is known as the Balcony of the Cusio; the bell tower and hermit’s house complete the eighteenth-century ensemble.

Context and history

The site began with a chapel dedicated to the Addolorata, and a church is documented here by 1590. In 1706, Pietro Paolo Minola resolved to fund a larger sanctuary. Construction began around 1725 and the church was complete by 1748; the bell tower and hermit’s house followed by 1760. The Bishop of Novara consecrated the sanctuary in 1771. The complex was restored in 1998 and received new lighting, audio and security systems in 2021.