Sanctuary of Graglia
Edited by:
Maria Grazia Schiapparelli
Introduction
It is situated at an altitude of 812m, and even here the view sweeps 360 degrees. The construction of the church, dedicated to Our Lady of Loreto, was begun in 1659 to designs by Arduzzi, and only finished around 1760.
.Description
The terracotta façade is unfinished; the interior has a surface area of 1500 square metres, and the dome is 38 metres high. The perspective of the dome, painted with the trompe l'oeil technique, is interesting. To the right of the church is the imposing hospice, already in operation in 1735, overlooking the plain, visible from afar, and to the south on a clear day you can make out the Basilica of Superga, San Gaudenzio of Novara and the Ligurian Apennines.
Around the sanctuary a series of 100 votive chapels were to be built up to the hill of San Carlo, 200 metres higher up; their construction began in 1616 but the project was never completed. Noteworthy in the courtyard are the two sundials and the 'Burnel', or fountain; around the church a number of chapels have been restored with life-size statues depicting episodes from the life of Jesus (in the photos); to visit them, ask the caretaker.
At the Graglia Sanctuary there was at the end of the 19th century one of the hydrotherapy establishments operating in the Biellese; the water in the area is the lightest in Europe, and has properties that make it unique in certain therapies.
Endecasyllabic Echo
At the end of our itinerary, when we arrive in front of the Sanctuary, there is a sign on the right, near a small fountain, explaining that a few metres above that point a very peculiar echo phenomenon takes place: it is possible to hear again a shouted word of eleven syllables (e.g. pre-ci-pi-te-vo-lis-si-me-vol-men-te).
The sharpness of the 'response' depends on the atmospheric conditions. This phenomenon, which is extremely rare, was known as far back as the 18th century, and is explained by the refraction of sound waves against the shrine's monumental complex. Apparently, there is only one other case in the world (in the Grand Canyon of Colorado, USA) where such an acoustic return is possible.