Chiesa del Gesù

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  • Address
    Centro Storico, Piazza del Gesù, Pigna
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  • Phone
    06 69 70 01
  • Transport
    bus: Largo di Torre Argentina
tram: Largo di Torre Argentina

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Lonely Planet review

A formidable and much-copied example of Counter-Reformation architecture, the Chiesa del Gesù is Rome's most important Jesuit church. It was built between 1551 and 1584 with money donated by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, who was subsequently said to own the three most beautiful things in Rome: his family palazzo, his daughter and the church of Gesù.

Although the façade by Giacomo della Porta is impressive, it's the towering, glitzy interior that's the real attraction. Designed by his contemporary Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola, a pupil of Michelangelo, it's an amazing ensemble of gold and marble built to draw worshippers to the Jesuit fold. The huge open-plan nave later became the standard for churches throughout Italy.

Works to look out for include those by Giovanni Battista Gaulli (aka Il Baciccia)and Pietro da Cortona.

The founder of the Jesuits, the Spanish soldier Ignatius Loyola, is buried in the Cappella di Sant'Ignazio. The Spanish saint lived in the church from 1544 until his death in 1556. To the east of the main church, you can visit Loyola's rooms ( - Mon-Sat, -noon Sun), which contain a masterful trompe l'oeil perspective by Andrea del Pozzo.