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WALKING TOURS OF ROME

A 300-Year-Old Spectacle

30/1/2019

 
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Altar of St Ignatius Loyola, Chiesa del Gesu, Rome
Altar of St Ignatius Loyola

Every afternoon, at 17.30 sharp, visitors to the Chiesa del Gesu, the mother church of the Jesuits, are treated to a 300 year old spectacle, the Macchina Barocca, which has its origins in Baroque Rome. 

The spectacle takes place in the Chapel of St Ignatius Loyola (left transept) and begins with the strains of choral music, which herald the start of a carefully choreographed light-show, the climax of which is the lowering of the painting to reveal a statue of the Spanish saint and founder of the Society of Jesus. What is now on display is a silver-painted stucco statue; the original solid-silver statue, the work of Pierre Legros (1666-1719), was melted down by the French army in 1798, during the occupation of Rome by Napoleon’s forces. 

The painting is believed to be the work of Andrea Pozzo (1642-1709), a Jesuit lay-brother, who designed the whole chapel between 1695 and 1700. In the upper section of the painting Christ presents St Ignatius with a standard bearing the monogram of the name of Jesus.

The spectacle does not actually end with the unveiling of the statue. The light show continues, illuminating the ceiling of the nave, where St Ignatius is received into heaven, and then the dome, where the saint is united with God.

Ignatius Loyola, who died in Rome on July 31st, 1556, is interred in the bronze urn, the work of Alessandro Algardi, at the base of the altar. 

Loyola was canonised on March 12th, 1622, and his feast day is July 31st. 

Chiesa del Gesu, Rome
Chiesa del Gesu

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    Walking Tours For Discerning Travellers

    My name is David Lown and I am an art historian from Cambridge, England. Since 2001 I have lived in Italy, where I run private and
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  • Home
  • Private Tours
  • Small-Group Tours
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • St Peter's Basilica
    • Altars >
      • Altar of St Joseph
      • Altar of St Gregory the Great
      • Altar of the Madonna of Succour
      • Altar of St Sebastian
      • Altar of the Lie
      • Altar of the Presentation of the Virgin
      • Altar of St Jerome
      • Altar of the Transfiguration
      • Altar of Pope Leo the Great
    • Monuments >
      • Countess Matilda of Canossa
      • Maria Clementina Sobieska
      • Queen Christina of Sweden
      • Pope Innocent VIII
      • Pope Paul III
      • Pope Gregory XIII
      • Pope Gregory XIV
      • Pope Leo XI
      • Pope Urban VIII
      • Pope Alexander VII
      • Pope Clement X
      • Pope Innocent XI
      • Pope Alexander VIII
      • Pope Innocent XII
      • Pope Benedict XIV
      • Pope Clement XIII
      • Pope Pius VII
      • Pope Leo XII
      • Pope Pius VIII
      • Pope Gregory XVI
      • Pope Pius X
      • Pope Benedict XV
      • Pope Pius XI
      • Pope Pius XII
      • Pope John XXIII
      • The Stuarts
    • Portico >
      • Door of Death
      • Door of Good and Evil
      • Central Door
      • Door of the Sacraments
      • Holy Door
    • Pieta
    • Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament
    • Cathedra Petri
    • Crossing >
      • Baldacchino
      • Confessio
      • Dome
      • St Longinus
      • St Helena
      • St Veronica
      • St Andrew
    • St Peter
    • Chapel of the Choir
    • Chapel of the Baptistery
    • Nave
  • Sistine Chapel
    • North Wall
    • South Wall
    • East Wall
    • Ceiling: Part One >
      • Ceiling: Part Two
      • Ceiling: Part Three
    • The Last Judgement
  • Fountains
    • Trevi Fountain
    • Fontana della Barcaccia
    • Fountain of the Triton
    • Fountain of the Bees
    • Fountain of Moses
    • Fountain of the Four Rivers
    • Fountain of the Acqua Paola
    • Fountain of the Turtles
    • Fountain of the Naiads
    • Fountain of the Cannonball
    • Piazza del Popolo
    • Fountain of the Pantheon
    • Fountains of Piazza Farnese
    • Fountain of Goddess Roma
    • Rioni Fountains
    • Street Fountains
    • Venice Marries the Sea
    • St Peter's Square
    • Fountain of the Moor
    • Fountain of Neptune
    • Fountain of the Porter
    • Fountain of the Seahorses
  • Gallery
    • Piazzas >
      • Piazza del Campidglio
      • Piazza del Quirinale
      • Piazza del Popolo
      • Piazza di Spagna
      • Piazza Navona
      • Piazza S. M. in Trastevere
      • Piazza San Pietro
    • Mosaics
    • Fountains
    • Churches
    • Ancient Rome
    • Palaces
    • Domes
    • Papal Coats of Arms
    • Street Shrines
    • Old Photographs
    • Borromini & the Baroque