Orta San Giulio, Piedmont Italy
Roman Catholic
The Sacred Mount of Orta is on the top of a hill overlooking Lake Orta, on the island of Orta San Guilio. The complex of twenty chapels is dedicated to Saint Francis—. 376 earthenware statues tell the story of St. Francis' life. Each chapel shows one episode. Construction began in the late 1500s and lasted at least a century. The chapels follow a spiral pattern, ending with the Church of St. Nicolao, dating from around 1100. It was completely remodeled in the 1600s, patterned after the Lower Basilica of Assisi.