One of the most famous churches of Rome is located on the eponymous small square in the very center of the city.
The temple, the name of which is translated from Italian as “the church of the holy name of Jesus,” is a cathedral Jesuit church in Rome. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of this order, is buried in it.
Temples of Rome
There are many churches in Rome, and they usually fail to visit them at a time. However, the fact that admission to most of them is free makes traveling around the city more fun.
Each temple has its own rich centuries-old history, full of amazing events. And this unique church, which will be discussed in this article, is located in Rome a short distance from Venice Square, located north of Capitol Hill.
Order Founder
In 1539, Ignatius Loyola and his comrades wondered: “What next?”. They decided to form an official society - a new monastic order. In the same year, a draft of the future Charter was presented to Pope Paul III, in which one more was added to the three usual vows of obedience: the vow of direct obedience to the Holy Father. In September 1540, the charter of the Society of Jesus (the new order) was approved.
During Lent of 1541, Loyola was elected the first general rector of the new order.
Church Overview
The Cathedral Church of the Order of the Jesuits was adopted as a canon for Jesuit temples throughout Europe (in the territory of modern Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and Belarus), as well as in Latin America. The strict canons of the order are fully consistent with the rather ascetic facade and a small number of architectural decorations of the temple. With its appearance, the church does not stand out among other city churches. In addition, if you do not know that this building is one of the most popular churches in Rome, then you can even not pay attention to it. The temple is located in Piazza del Gesu.
The Church of Il Gesu in Rome is a titular diaconia, which received the title of the church in June 1988 (the cardinal priest is the Spaniard Eduardo Martinez Somalo). The temple was built in the years 1568-1584 in the mannerism style, close to the baroque aesthetics. The project was created by the architect Vignola and his student Giacomo della Porta (Michelangelo is also a mentor). The initial draft was prepared by Michelangelo himself, but the cardinal rejected it.
It is worth noting the chapel of St. Mary degli Astalia, to the left of the main altar. An icon of the 14th century St. Mary of the Strad affair is set in it.
Features of the facade and interior
The temples and cathedrals express the architecture of all of Rome. The interior of the church, Il Gesu, is quite solemn: powerful pilasters and columns, as well as frescoes (among them a ceiling painted by Giovanni Battista Gauli) adorn the building.
Thanks to the optical illusion, the figures depicted under the dome appear to be full-bodied and voluminous, although they are made on the same plane. One of the artistic features of the Church of Il Gesu in Rome is the original fresco on the ceiling, which was mentioned above. It creates the illusion that the figures, soaring under the ceiling, cast a shadow on it, although they are written in a plane.
The author and architect of the Church of Il Gesu in Rome is Rainaldi. The exterior of the building is quite simple, unlike its interior, decorated with marble, paintings and stucco molding. It has one nave (the work of Giacinto Bracci) and a chapel located on three sides.
There are 4 tombs of the Bolognetti family in the church. Columns, marble, statues and stucco are decorated with presbytery. On both sides of the entrance are an organ and 2 family tombs of del Corno.
Construction history
In 1615, the Jesuits acquired a plot of land, which was located between the current street. Via del Babuino and Via del Corso. At this place, even earlier, was the villa of Cardinal Flavio Orsini. The church building itself was erected in 1670, and all the time before that, the Augustinians were collecting money for its construction.
The Church of Il Gesu in Rome is the first that was built by representatives of the Jesuit Order. Its founder, Ignatius de Loyol, is one of the most famous figures of the Reformation era. As noted above, the project of the future temple was created by Michelangelo, who initially proposed to develop a construction project for free. However, there was no shortage of finances (the sponsor of the construction was a follower of the Jesuit Order of the Duke of Gandia), so the work of the architect was paid. But in the end, the plans were not realized. Partly in connection with this, Loyola did not wait for the opening of the first church of his order. He died in 1556, and the temple was consecrated only in 1584. After his death, the construction of the church was carried out without interruption under the guidance of Giacomo da Vignola, one of the most talented architects of the late Renaissance. However, Vignola also died without waiting for the completion of construction, and his original idea did not materialize.
Final work had to be completed by the Italian architect Giacomo della Porta - the author of the facade of the temple, which has survived to this day.
Excursions
The great city of Rome boasts many world-famous attractions. Some of them are not so easy to see. But there are places that are quite accessible for independent inspection, and this can be done completely free of charge. These include the temples and cathedrals of Rome.
Guides of travel agencies conduct individual tours in any language in the historical places of the city, including churches, for a fee. From the story of experienced guides you can learn a lot about the Jesuit Order: the internal structure, history, main ideas and principles. Thanks to the guides you can find out information from deeper sources. Visiting the Cathedral of Il Gesu, considered one of the most beautiful in Rome, you can see how the spirit of the Jesuits is captured in all architecture and frescoes. The stunning work of Andrea Pozzo (Jesuit artist), brilliantly playing with space to create optical illusions, amazes the imagination of absolutely all church visitors.