For a mesmerizing display of baroque opulence, head to the Chiesa del Gesù near Piazza Venezia.
Rome’s most important Jesuit church features a swirling vault fresco by Giovan Battista Gaulli (aka Il Baciccia) and Andrea del Pozzo’s lavish tomb for Ignatius Loyola, the Spanish soldier and saint who founded the Jesuits in 1540.
Artistic Highlights
Consecrated in 1584, the landmark church is an imposing work of Counter-Reformation architecture with a harmonious and much-copied facade by Giacomo della Porta. But it’s inside that you’ll find the artistic fireworks.
Burning brightest of all is Giovan Battista Gaulli’s astonishing ceiling fresco, the Trionfo del Nome di Gesù (Triumph of the Name of Jesus; 1679), which can best be admired through a conveniently placed viewing mirror.
Almost as flamboyant is the altar-tomb of St Ignatius Loyola. Designed by baroque maestro Andrea Pozzo, this is a sumptuous marble-and-bronze affair with lapis-lazuli-encrusted columns, and, on top, a solid lapis-lazuli globe representing the Trinity. On either side are sculptures representing the Jesuit ethos: to the left, Fede che vince l'Idolatria (Faith Defeats Idolatry); and on the right, Religione che flagella l'Eresia (Religion Lashing Heresy).
St Ignatius Rooms
To the right of the main church, you can visit the quarters where the Spanish saint lived from 1544 until his death in 1556. His spartanly furnished rooms (open 4-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-noon Sun), just off a frescoed corridor, contain a few books, a robe and the saint’s worn leather shoes.