The Franciscan friar Bernardino Caimi founded the Sacro Monte di Varallo in 1491, with help from wealthy local families, making it the oldest of the Sacri Monti. It sits 1,969 feet (600 meters) above sea level, 492 feet (150 meters) above the historic center of Varallo. Caimi's plaque says he wanted people who could not make the pilgrimage to see Jerusalem.
The complex has a minor basilica and 45 chapels, with more than 800 life-size painted statues in wood and terracotta. Gaudenzio Ferrari worked as painter, sculptor and architect until 1529. Galeazzo Alessi played a decisive role in the renovation of 1565 to 1569.
The layout took shape from the late fifteenth century to the mid-nineteenth, and a summit zone represents Jerusalem. It is one of nine Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
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