Resurrection
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Date
Authors
Giuseppe Rusnati, Dionigi Bussola, and Cesare Bussola
Keyword
Resurrection , Jesus , Soldiers , Tomb , Sepulcher , Angels
Abstract
Most of the sculptures in this chapel were made by Giuseppe Rusnati around 1704. The Roman soldiers, angels, and image of Jesus are similar in style to Rusnati's ealier work in chapels nine and ten at Domodossola. He also moved two figures by Dionigi Bussola and his son Cesare Bussola from the sanctuary to join this group. The kneeling king and his stereotypically African page had been made for a scene of the Adoration of the Magi, which was never finished. Scholars believe that this magus is a portrait of Kaspar, or Gaspare, Stockpaler (1609 - 1691) a Swiss merchant who was forced to live in exile at the Monte Calvario from 1681 to 1685 and became an important patron of the site. Bussola's sculptures date either to 1663 - 1664 or 1680 - 1683, although the later date may be more likely. They are more finely sculpted than the other works in the chapel and easily distinguished from those by Rusnati's hand. The frescoes were painted by Giovanni Sampietro between 1704 and 1706. The Resurrection is not one of the Stations of the Cross, which is the subject of all the other chapels at Domodossola. This interior decoration was finished before Pope Clement XII established the fourteen official stations in 1731, but the façade and plasterwork on the chapel's exterior was never completed. / The Sacro Monte, or Monte Calvario, of Domodossola was founded by two friars from the local Capuchin convent, Gioacchino da Cassano and Andrea da Rho. In 1656, they planted a large cross atop the ruins of the medieval fortress that had previously occupied the site and began building the sanctuary on top of the hill in July of the following year. This was the first Sacro Monte dedicated to the Via Crucis, or the Stations of the Cross. Early construction efforts were led and funded by Giovanni Matteo Capis (1617 - 1681) a wealthy merchant who had previously served as the mayor of Domodossola, the director of its hospital, and a leader in the local inquisition.