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Santa Caterina del Sasso, Leggiuno Santa Caterina del Sasso Ballaro (actually Eremo di Santa Catarina del Sasso Ballara) was originally a hermitage. It is now located in the Italian municipality of Leggiuno in the province of Varese. In the 13th century, Dominicans converted the building into a monastery. This is a destination for many pilgrimages. It is located directly on Lake Maggiore and, like many former hermitages, is built on a rock in a location that is difficult to access. Construction began in the early 13th century, but the main work dates back to around 1300/1320. The core of the complex is the small church dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria. The nickname "del sasso" means that the building stands on a rock; "Sasso Ballaro" refers to a rockslide in 1640 that caused significant damage. "Sasso ballaro" roughly translates as "wobbly rock." According to tradition, the merchant Alberto Besozzi founded the monastery after he had successfully survived a shipwreck on the lake. He later became a hermit and is buried in the church. In 1230, Dominicans built the small convent and oratory. Around 1450, additional staircases were added to connect the individual parts of the building. In the following centuries, the monastery was rebuilt and expanded several times to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims. The 14th-century church tower is still Romanesque. The Renaissance decorations on the current façade date from the 15th century, the numerous frescoes in the former refectory, the arcade, and the church date from the 14th to 17th centuries, and the paintings in the church are Baroque. Due to the steep slope and the difficult subsoil, the interior of the church is shaped to follow the curve of the mountain. It is richly frescoed, although moisture damage has destroyed significant portions of the paintings. The frescoes date primarily from the 16th century and were further enhanced with floral motifs in the 17th century. At the center of the church stands the sarcophagus of the founder, the hermit Alberto. In the courtyard separating the church from the convent building stands an old wine press dating from 1769. Text / Source: Province of Varese - Piazza Libertà No. 1 - 21100 Varese http://www.santacaterinadelsasso.com/

The Santa Caterina del Sasso church impresses with its unique construction. When visiting the sanctuary, you will encounter three buildings that make up the entire structure: the southern cloister, the small cloister, and finally the church, which houses the body of St. Besozzi and the Chapel of St. Catherine. The southern cloister was built in 1300 and renovated in 1624 by Prior Giulio Cesare Martignoni after part of the old wooden structure collapsed into the lake. It is accessed through an archway supported by slender granite columns. The small cloister is located opposite the courtyard where a large wine press stands. Text / Source: Lago-Maggiore.de https://www.lago-maggiore.de/ausflugsziele/kloster-santa-caterina-del-sasso.html

The Hermitage - Santa Caterina del Sasso, Leggiuno The Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso is situated on a cliff overlooking the lake and is undoubtedly one of the most impressive settings on Lake Maggiore. Access to the church is via a portico consisting of four rounded arches with a Renaissance imprint. The current building has a truly unique structure, the result of the merging of three chapels that were originally distinct and built in different eras. In front of and inside the church are numerous pictorial cycles dating from the 14th to the 19th century. Art and history are magnificently integrated into one of the most evocative natural landscapes, almost like a balcony jutting out towards the Borromean Gulf, Stresa, and the islands. Upon entering the hermitage, one first encounters the southern cloister (14th-17th centuries), with interesting frescoes in the fireplace room, then the convent (13th century), decorated with a long 17th-century fresco inspired by the Dance of Death just below the first-floor windows, and finally the church, which houses the Chapel of Santa Caterina. Text / Source: Province of Varese - Piazza Libertà No. 1 - 21100 Varese http://www.santacaterinadelsasso.com/eremo

Santa Caterina del Sasso / Hermitage, Leggiuno A brief, interesting insight into the history and origins of the Hermitage. According to tradition, the Hermitage was founded by the wealthy local merchant Alberto Besozzi. He miraculously survived a shipwreck while crossing the lake. He then decided to retire to this part of the coast as a hermit. Blessed Alberto built a chapel on this site and dedicated it to Saint Catherine of Egypt, who is depicted in the frescoes in the background of the chapel. This chapel, built in the 12th century, was soon joined by two additional chapels: the chapels of San Nicolao and Santa Maria Nova, which can be dated with certainty to the 14th century. From this time until the 16th century, the monastery experienced a period of prosperity and importance. After an initial historical period inhabited by Dominicans, the hermitage was run by monks of the Milanese convent of Sant'Ambrogio ad Nemus from 1314 to 1645. They were replaced by the Carmelites until 1770. It is worth mentioning that at the beginning of the 18th century, an enormous avalanche of rocks rolled down on the church, but miraculously remained suspended in the dome of a chapel for over two centuries until 1910, without causing major damage. These "wobbling" stones may have given the hermitage its name, which is fully Santa Caterina del Sasso Ballaro. However, it is more likely that the name derives from the nearby village of Ballarate. Since 1970, the hermitage has been the property of the Province of Varese. From 1986 to 1996, it was run by a Dominican community, but today it is run by the Benedictine Order. Text / Source: Province of Varese - Piazza Libertà No. 1 - 21100 Varese http://www.santacaterinadelsasso.com/

The History of the Santa Caterina del Sasso Monastery The history of the hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso is truly fascinating because it is connected to a centuries-old legend. According to this legend, Alberto Besozzi, a wealthy Milanese usurer and merchant, was caught in a terrible storm in the 12th century while traveling on business on Lake Maggiore. In those dramatic moments, he begged the help of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, to whom he was deeply devoted, in his last dread. The grace was granted. After his miraculous rescue, he decided to change his life and from then on led a hermit's life in this corner of heaven, which seemed to him like a foretaste of what was to come. Text / Source: Lago-Maggiore.de https://www.lago-maggiore.de/ausflugsziele/kloster-santa-caterina-del-sasso.html

Old wine press at the hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso The small monastery is located opposite the courtyard where a large wine press stands. It is accessed through an archway supported by slender granite columns. Text / Source: Lago-Maggiore.de https://www.lago-maggiore.de/ausflugsziele/kloster-santa-caterina-del-sasso.html

Stairs to the Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso and San Catarina Navigation Lakes Those who prefer not to walk can also reach Santa Caterina del Sasso using the state-of-the-art elevator. This allows even the elderly or those with disabilities to effortlessly climb the 51 meters between the square of the "Cascine del Quicchio" and the actual entrance to the hermitage. The new elevator (which took seven years to build) and can carry up to 12 people is a true engineering gem. Indeed, a 6-meter-diameter shaft was excavated 51 meters vertically into the rock. From the elevator exit, you walk another 45 meters along a horizontal gallery, also carved into the rock. On its walls, you can visually follow the progress and development of this monumental project. Only at the exit does the magnificent 170-degree panorama of the lake and the opposite shore unfold, even reaching as far as the Swiss 4,000-meter peaks of the canton of Valais to the north. From the lake The access via the lake is definitely the most impressive. A very small harbor provides a landing stage for the steamers that regularly bring tourists ashore to visit the hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso. Visitors are left breathless by such a spectacle! This must-see historical building, "clinging" to the rock, can be seen from afar. Text / Source: Lago-Maggiore.de https://www.lago-maggiore.de/ausflugsziele/kloster-santa-caterina-del-sasso.html

Excellent refreshment after the climb