Madonna of the Rosary and Saint Dominic, S. Caterina and devoted (1590/1610) by Biella areaSantuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

The paintings donated to the Sanctuary by the devotee

Most of the paintings that came to Oropa over the centuries have a votive and devotional origin, therefore linked to a grace or a miracle. These are donations from the Biellese and Piedmontese nobility, clergymen, or ordinary people. For example, Vittorio Agostino Ripa, bishop of Vercelli from 1679 to 1691 bequeathed about 50 paintings to the Sanctuary. Some of these paintings are displayed in Oropa Treasure Museum

Madonna with Child (1650/1699) by Biella areaSantuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

Many paintings depict the Madonna with the child

Madonna with Child (1800/1849) by Piedmont areaSantuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

Madonna in adoration of the sleeping Child (1650/1699) by Piedmont areaSantuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

Saint Joachim, Saint Anne and the Virgin Mary as a Child (1675/1699) by Biella areaSantuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

Other paintings depict stories of the life of Virgin Mary and Jesus

Mary with the father St. Joachim and the mother St. Anna

Annunciation (1625/1675) by Biella areaSantuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

The Annunciation

Visitation (1625/1675) by Biella areaSantuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

The visit of St. Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus, to St. Elizabeth

Adoration of the shepherds (1736) by Termine ESantuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

The nativity of Jesus

Presentation of Mary in the temple (1625/1675) by Biella areaSantuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple

Still life (1650/1699) by Piedmont areaSantuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

Most of the paintings depict sacred subjects, but there are also Roman still lifes

Still life (1650/1699) by Neapolitan areaSantuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

In a rich frame, fruit and vegetables are painted with extreme detail

Madonna and Child enthroned between St. Anthony of Padua and donor (?) (1600/1649) by Biella areaSantuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

Among the most significant works, there is an "ex voto" donated by Giovanni Domenico Pollono in the mid-seventeenth century: The painting with the Madonna and two Saints

The donor's face appears at the bottom right of the painting

At the top left there is a "painting in the painting": the holy Shroud and the Madonna of Oropa

Madonna with child and angels (1747) by Beaumont Claudio FrancescoSantuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

Other paintings depict the Madonna of Oropa, such as the canvas donated in 1748 by Carlo Giuseppe Ajmonino with the Madonna of Oropa portrayed with the jewels of the Coronation

Madonna of Oropa between Saint John and Saint Sebastian (1600)Santuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

The Madonna of Oropa between St. John and St. Sebastian

Saint Eusebio (1780/1790) by Cogrosso CarloSantuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

The ties between St. Eusebius and the Sanctuary are strong and ancient: according to the tradition, St. Eusebius spread the Marian cult in Oropa.

Portrait of Giovanni Andrea Garabello (1650/1674) by Piedmont areaSantuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

Other paintings portrait the architects and the masters that projected the buildings of the Sanctuary, such as Giovanni Andrea Garabello and Giovanni Battista Negro

Portrait of Giovanni Battista Negro (1650/1674) by Piedmont areaSantuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

Giovanni Battista Negro has his hands the project for the cloister of the Sanctuary: we can recognize the Ancient Basilica, the porticoes and the fountain

Vurgin Mary and Child Enthroned with Saints (1624) by Zuccaro MarioSantuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

In Oropa collection there are also numerous altarpieces which arrived following the suppression of religious orders sanctioned in 1802 by the Napoleonic government

St. Michael the Archangel, St. Anthony of Padua and a Holy Bishop (1600/1624) by Allasina Anselmo (?)Santuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

The canvas with St. Anthony of Padua and St. Germanus (Bishop of Auxerre) comes from the ancient church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Andorno (Biellese area)

The guardian angel holds a shield with the Maltese cross

The village of Andorno is represented at the centre of the painting

Madonna with Child, Saint Francis and Saint Anthony of Padua (1600/1649) by Molineri Giovanni AntonioSantuario e Sacro Monte di Oropa

The altarpiece with the Madonna and Child with Saint Francis was made by Antonio Molineri, a painter in contact with the Savoy court

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