IHS: The Seal of the Society of Jesus

Map

IHS: Seal of the Society of Jesus

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Above the main entrance to the Chiesa del Gesù, and framed by the heads and wings of two angels (the work of the Florentine sculptor Bartolomeo Ammannati, 1574) are three letters: IHS. The middle letter is surmounted by a cross and below it are three nails. IHS are the first three letters of  Jesus' name in Greek (ΙΗΣΟΥΣ) and this christogram is the emblem of the Jesuits.

The Chiesa del Gesù (its full name is the Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Gesù all'Argentina) was consecrated in 1584 and is the mother church of the Jesuits. 

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Church of the Gesù