Chapel Fourteen - The Assumption of Mary

The Fourteenth Chapel of the Sacro Monte di Varese is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin. It was built in 1610 and is the final stage in the Via Sacra, since the fifteenth mystery is located inside the sanctuary. 

The chapel has a central layout with a square base with bevelled corners and four porticoes that extend to form a Greek cross. The top part of the chapel, which has been struck several times by lightning, has undergone a range of changes over time, leading to several alterations. The original dome has been replaced by tiles with a closed lantern added by Giulio Buzzi in the 1680s. 
The subject of the Assumption is extremely important, since the main festival in Santa Maria del Monte is traditionally celebrated on 15 August, and is still attended by the clergy of Varese and numerous pilgrims today. 
The chapel is decorated with statues by Francesco Silva and the painted decorations have a complex history and are the work of various artists over the centuries, from the initial intervention of Milanese painterStefano Maria Legnani, who was then followed by Pietro Gilardi. The frescos were restored by Gerolamo Poloni.
Sacro Monte di Varese is well known for the unity of its designs and styles, thanks to the architect, Bernascone who was able to vary the buildings with a cultured, contemporary language that has made it an extraordinary exception of all the Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy.