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At the end of the 1400s, the Fransiscan Father Bernardino Caimi from Varallo Sesia (VC) conceived the idea for the Holy places of Jerusalem. He found a suitable location overlooking the town where he could site Mount Zion. This formed, with “Il Calvario and il Monte degli Ulivi” (Calgary and Mount Olive) one of the heights corresponding go the three Holy Mountains of the Holy City. So Father Caimi constructed one building where Il Cenacolo could be housed and a second building, known as the Old Church where the Image of the sleeping Vergine Dormiente could be adored. In 1614, the bishop of Novara, Carlo Bascape, gave orders to construct the new Basilica. Consequently the old Church lost importance, and in 1773 it was demolished. The Image of the Vergine Dormients was solemnly transferred to the New Basilica in 1649. In 1770 the architect Giovanni Matteo Massone was appointed for the construction of a new building for spiritual exercises. Originally, the entrance was facing the square and the small building would have been joined to Basilica, but on its completion, as it appears today, the project was greatly reduced. Il Cenacolo and La Cappella behind it were incorporated together as one room and became The Interior Chapel. The open gallery of the convent was closed to create new rooms. The building was used for spiritual exercises with hights and lows till the beginning of 1900. Following this, it was also used as rented accommodation for the summer, and during the last war it was occupied by evacuated families. Finally in 1965 the hospice, now old-fashiones and outdated was radically restored, becoming “Albergo Casa del Pellegrino”. An agreement reached with the Monuments and Fine Art Office was to leave intact the characteristics of the place so that the true authenticity of this harmonious structure, even after 200 years, has been preserved. At that time, a lot of the existing furniture, the iron beds and the painted ceilings were restored. On 3rd and 4th November 1984. Pope Paolo Giovanni stayed in the hotel. |
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