Franciscaanse Jeruzalems in Italië. Drie sacri monti nader bekeken (ca. 1480-1520)

This short paper (in Dutch) investigates the earliest Italian sacri monti which are also Observant Franciscan new Jerusalems and explores what characterized these sanctuaries around 1500 CE. Most sacri monti are found in the Northern Italian Alps, date to the 16th and 17th centuries, and can be connected to the Counter Reformation. They are often dedicated to devotional themes such as the Virgin Mary and the Rosary. Of these Northern Italian examples I only pay attention to the sacro monte of Varallo, the oldest and most well-known example, which replicates Jerusalem and was founded by Observant Franciscans. My discussion raises the question: what was specifically Observant Franciscan about this sanctuary? To answer this question I consider the sacri monti of La Verna and San Vivaldo in Tuscany, which are also Observant Franciscan new Jerusalems.