Like the Gesù Church, the St. Ignatius Church (Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio) is a Jesuit
Church (which shouldn't be surprising, as it's dedicated to the founder of the order). It's
quite large, and is also full of elaborate decorations.
Family and Main Altar
Main Altar
Paintings Behind Main Altar
Main Altar
Painting Above Altar
Side Chapels
Columns and Cornice
Dedicatory Inscription
Construction was begun in 1626, but final consecration didn't occur until 96 years later.
Much was obviously spent on the side chapels, but there weren't enough funds to build anything
more complicated than a simple barrel vault for the ceiling, and it was never possible to build
a planned dome. Instead, a tricky frescoist and fellow Jesuit named Andrea Pozzo was given the
job of painting the ceiling, starting around 1685. For the vault, he painted an elaborate
scene celebrating the triumphs of St. Ignatius. The saint's support of missionary work was
emphasized, with allegorical representations on the edges of the vault of the four recognized
continents (Europe, America, Africa and Asia). Pozzo played some games with perspective to
make the vault seem more lofty, with classically-styled arches at the ends and with sky in
between. There is a marble disk embedded in the floor to mark the spot where the perspective
is most effective.
Ceiling Fresco
St. Ignatius in Glory, Andrea Pozzo
Ceiling Fresco
Classical "Archway"
Another Classical "Archway"
"Europe"
"America"
"Africa"
"Asia"
Similarly, the interior of a darkened non-existent dome was painted on a flat stretch of
ceiling, and from the right spot (also marked on the floor), the effect is quite convincing.
Main Altar and Fake Dome
Fake Dome
Also like the Gesù Church, the St. Ignatius Church is something of a burial ground. Entombed
here are St. John Berchmans and St. Aloysius Gonzaga (in the large side chapels near the front),
St. Robert Bellarmine (who was the teacher and confessor of St. Aloysius Gonzaga) and Pope
Gregory XV.
Chapel of St. John Berchmans
Nella and St. John Berchmans Chapel
St. John Berchmans Chapel
Statue, Pietro Bracci
Statue, Pietro Bracci
Annunciation, Filippo della Valle
Chapel of St. Aloysius Gonzaga
Statue, St. Aloysius Gonzaga Chapel
Nella and St. Aloysius Gonzaga Chapel
St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Glory, Pierre Legros
St. Robert Bellarmine Chapel
Statue of St. Ignatius, Camillo Rusconi (1728)
St. Ignatius Status and Tomb of Pope Gregory XV
Tomb of Pope Gregory XV
Near the church entrance there were some interesting models. We're not sure what they were,
but we took pictures of them.
Dome Model (the one that was never built?)
Model of Domed Structure
Model Detail
From the St. Ignatius Church, we returned to the apartment to get some rest. Another full
itinerary was planned for the following day, which would be our last full day in Italy.
After a couple of hours of rest, Nella and I started getting restless. Philip and Connie
were not inclined to budge, so Nella and I went out into Rome, with no particular
destination in mind.