Biella: The Madonna of Oropa

A historical and famed destination for pilgrims 1,200 m above sea level, the Oropa Shrine is a place of meeting, dialogue, listening, contemplation and prayer. Like a jewel surrounded by the velvet green of the fields and high mountains, today the shrine seems like a huge royal palace whose architecture blends beautifully with the natural backdrop of the Alps.

Tradition tells us that the shrine was founded in the 4th century AD by Saint Eusebio, the first Archbishop of Vercelli. The oldest documents that mention Oropa date back to the beginning of the 13th century and mention the first simple churches of Saint Mary's and Saint Bartholomew's. These served as important reference points for travelers who journeyed back and forth to the nearby Aosta Valley.

The Shrine grew and has developed through the years into a spectacular architectural ensemble of important monumental buildings. This led to a change in the use of Oropa from one of transit to a destination used by pilgrims attracted there by devotion.

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See: https://www.santuariodioropa.it/?lang=en