The Jubilee of Sacro Monte ends with 40,000 visitors

Hundreds passed through also on the last day of the opening of the Holy Door, which was closed yesterday on Sacro Monte. Since it was opened in a solemn celebration at the beginning of the Jubilee Year, with the presence of four bishops (all local episcopal vicars), the Holy Door of Sacro Monte remained open all day and every day, for the continuous flow of pilgrims, also in the afternoon, and, in some cases, the evening.

By the end of the year, 527 organised groups (more than double those of last year), for a total of over 40,000 people, excluding individuals, families and friends, who had come freely, had been recorded. Of the groups who went through the Holy Door, 51% were from Varese and the surroundings, 40% from the diocese of Milan, 8% from other dioceses in Italy, and 1% from abroad. A surprising number of young people walked the way of the chapels, more than 10,000, in school groups, scout groups and parish youth clubs.

With respect to 2015, when the number of tourists (especially foreigners) was greater (also thanks to the Expo), this year, the groups that visited Sacro Monte only out of cultural or recreational interest, were in a clear minority. It was the Jubilee that brought many of the faithful, who were moved by personal desire, or encouraged by the organisation of their own parish and/or some association.

The pilgrimages made to pass through the Holy Door on the occasion of the Jubilee, chose different ways to appreciate this “sacred place”.

Having some time available, the groups of the faithful (some loyal, others occasional; by age, education and interest), were able to choose freely: the form of prayer for the introductory walk and for the stay in the sanctuary, a visit to the crypt, to discover its treasures (ancient finds, and more recent discoveries), into the monastery (for prayers with the Romite nuns, or a meeting-testimony with several people), a stop in one of the museums opened for the occasion (the “Mgr. Macchi” Exhibition Centre, the Baroffio Museum and Sanctuary, the Pogliaghi House-Museum).