Carlo Borromeo was born on October 2nd, 1538 in the castle that once stood on the 'Rocca di Arona' (the rock towering above Arona) and was later on destroyed by Napoleon. In 1610, only 25 years affer his death, he was proclaimed Saint.
His cousin, Federico Borromeo, the cardinal mentioned in Manzoni's "Promessi Sposi", affer succeeding him as Archbishop of Milan, wanted a "Sacro Monte" to be built in Arona to celebrate his exceptional greatness.
According to the originai plan, 15 chapels were to be erected, starting from the lake to the present square, to narrate the most important events in the life of Saint Carlo by means of statues and frescoes. In 1600 only a few chapels were finished both because of wars and lack of means; nowadays just 3 of them remain in their original structure.

The "Sacro Monte" ended with the Church dedicated to the Saint, in whose apse a 'reliquary' was to be built as a memorial to his birth.

The church, planned by the famous architect Francesco Richini, was finished in the first half of the following century.

By both Cardinal Federico Borromeo's and Oblate Marco Aurelio Grattarola's wish, the latter was in charge of the supervision of the works here on the hill, a colossal statue of Saint Carlo that could be seen even from the lake was designed, to hand down to posterity in the course of ages the greatness of the Saint Archbishop of Milan.

The design by Giovan Battista Crespi, known as Cerano, was made of wrought copper sheets held together by means of nails and iron tie-beams by the two sculptors Siro Zanelia from Pavia and Bernardo Falconi from Lugano.
The monument was finished in 1698.