The Sanctuary of San Giovanni d'Andorno has been the spiritual and identity reference point of the Alta Valle del Cervo for more than five centuries. The first documentary attestation dates back to 1512, but that testimony hands down a significant reality of faith and humanity by now consolidated, or already in existence since at least the fifteenth century. In half a millennium, love and devotion for this special place and for its patron saint have greatly expanded and spread throughout the Biella area and beyond.
Dedicated to St. John the Baptist, the Bürsch Sanctuary was born around the revered Simulacrum of the Forerunner of Christ still kept in the balma, that is, in the cave, around which the church and all the buildings that make up the complex have risen. Among the very few with this dedication, the Sanctuary of San Giovanni d'Andorno represents the symbol, not only religious, of belonging and cohesion of the valley community. The Sanctuary of San Giovanni d'Andorno invites and welcomes everyone for an extraordinary journey of discovery in the environment, culture, spirituality and history of the Upper Cervo Valley.