Walks in Rome (Est. 2001)
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  • St Peter's Basilica
    • Altars >
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    • Monuments >
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      • The Stuarts
    • Portico >
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    • Stanza di Eliodoro
    • Stanza dell' Incendio
  • Sistine Chapel
    • North Wall
    • South Wall
    • East Wall
    • Ceiling: Part One >
      • Ceiling: Part Two
      • Ceiling: Part Three
    • The Last Judgement
  • Fountains
    • Fontana della Barcaccia
    • Fontana di Piazza delle Scole
    • Fountain of Moses
    • Fountain of Neptune
    • Fountains of Piazza Farnese
    • Fountain of the Acqua Paola
    • Fountain of the Bees
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    • Fountain of the Four Rivers
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    • Fountain of the Seahorses
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    • Four Fountains
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    • Venice Marries the Sea
  • Churches
    • Chiesa del Gesù >
      • Cappella di Sant' Ignazio
    • Chiesa Nuova
    • Lateran Baptistery
    • San Bartolomeo all' Isola
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    • San Clemente >
      • Cappella Castiglione
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      • Cappella Corsini
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    • San Luigi dei Francesi >
      • Cappella Contarelli
    • San Marco
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    • San Sebastiano fuori le Mura >
      • Cappella Albani
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    • Sant' Agostino
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    • Sant' Andrea delle Fratte
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    • Sant' Ignazio di Loyola
    • Sant' Ivo alla Sapienza
    • Santa Caterina dei Funari
    • Santa Cecilia in Trastevere
    • Santa Costanza
    • Santa Croce in Gerusalemme >
      • Chapel of St Helen
    • Santa Francesca Romana
    • Santa Maria degli Angeli
    • Santa Maria del Popolo >
      • Cappella Cerasi
      • Cappella Chigi
    • Santa Maria del Priorato
    • Santa Maria della Pace >
      • Chigi Chapel
      • Cloister of Bramante
    • Santa Maria della Vittoria >
      • Cappella Cornaro
    • Santa Maria dell' Anima
    • Santa Maria dell' Orazione e Morte
    • Santa Maria dell' Orto
    • Santa Maria di Loreto
    • Santa Maria in Aracoeli >
      • Cappella Bufalini
    • Santa Maria in Campitelli
    • Santa Maria in Cosmedin
    • Santa Maria in Domnica
    • Santa Maria in Trastevere >
      • Cappella Altemps
    • Santa Maria in Via
    • Santa Maria Maddalena
    • Santa Maria Maggiore >
      • Baptistery
      • Cappella Paolina
      • Cappella Sistina
    • Santa Maria sopra Minerva >
      • Cappella Carafa
      • Cappella dell' Annunziata
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      • Chapel of St Catherine
      • Chapel of St Hyacinth
    • Santa Susanna
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  • Palatine
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  • Ancient Monuments
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    • Via Appia
  • Obelisks
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  • Mosaics
    • S. Agnese fuori le Mura
    • S. Cecilia in Trastevere
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    • S. Maria in Trastevere
    • S. Maria Maggiore
    • S. Prassede >
      • S. Zenone
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  • Miscellaneous
    • A Calendar of Saints
    • Antico Caffè Greco
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  • On This Day in Italy
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Walking Tours of Rome

Chiesa del Gesù


Map
Chiesa del Gesu, Rome
Chiesa del Gesù

From 1527 to 1590 over 50 new churches were built in Rome. One of these was Il Santissimo Nome del Gesù (The Most Sacred Name of Jesus), the mother church of the Society of Jesus, which was founded in 1534 by the Spanish soldier-turned-priest, Ignacio de Loyola. Six years later the Jesuit Order was formally approved by Pope Paul III (r. 1534-49). 

Il Gesù, as the church is much better known, was begun in 1568. It was built by
Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola (1507-73), often simply called il Vignola, for Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, Pope Paul III’s grandson. Following Vignola’s death in 1573, the church was completed by Giacomo della Porta (1533-1602), who designed its façade. The inscription reads: ALEXANDER CARDINALIS FARNESIVS S R E VICE CAN FEC MDLXXV (Cardinal Alexander Farnese, vice-chancellor of the Holy Church of Rome, made this, 1575). The two statues depict St Ignatius and St Francis Xavier.

Nave, Chiesa del Gesù, Rome
Nave
Il Gesù, with its single broad nave, was expressly built to hold a large congregation, all of whom should be able to see the high altar and hear the sermons, which were a central feature of Jesuit teaching. In 16th century Rome, sermons were usually only given during Lent and Advent, but the Jesuits made year-round preaching one of their principal activities.
Vault of nave, Chiesa del Gesu, Rome
Vault of nave
The church was originally decorated in a simple and rather austere style, but in the second half of the 17th century all this changed. The Jesuits pulled out all the stops and simplicity was replaced by opulence, as the Society of Jesus sought to attract worshippers through grand spectacle.

The fresco (1672-85) which adorns the ceiling of the nave 
is a splendid example of this. Painted by Giovanni Battista Gaulli (1639-1709), better known as Il Baciccia, the fresco, an absolute masterpiece of trompe l’oeil painting, depicts the Triumph of the Name of Jesus. We are reminded of the words of St Paul (Philippians: 2:10): ‘That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of God the Father'. The Jesuits’ monogram, IHS, shines in a blaze of divine light. Il Baciccia goes one step further than his contemporaries in his mesmerising illusionistic effects, when his figures spill over from the picture frame into the gilded vault.

The fresco is surrounded by flying stucco angels, the work of 
Antonio Raggi (1624-86) and Leonardo Retti. The windows of the nave are also flanked by pairs of stucco statues, also by Raggi and Retti. 

Extravagance is also the keynote in the design of the Cappella di Sant' Ignazio, which is dedicated to the founder of the Jesuits, St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556). 
Fresco by Il Baciccio, Chiesa del Gesu, Rome
Fresco by Il Baciccio
The fresco is surrounded by stucco angels, the work of Antonio Raggi (1624-86) and Leonardo Retti. 
Stucco statues, Chiesa del Gesu, Rome
The nave windows are flanked and surmounted by stucco statues
The windows of the nave are flanked and surmounted by stucco statues, also by Raggi and Retti.
Interior of dome, Chiesa del Gesù, Rome
Interior of dome
The frescoes in the dome are the work of Il Baciccia, who was only twenty-two years old when he received this prestigious commission. The fresco in the cupola depicts Paradise Singing the Praise of Jesus, while those in the pendentives depict the Four Evangelists, the Four Doctors of the Church, Four Prophets and Moses and the Law.

The 
inscription at the base of the dome proclaims: DONAVIT ILLI QVOD EST SUPER OMNE NOMEN VT IN NOMINE JESV OMNE GENV FLECTATVR CAELESTIVM TERRESTRIVM ET INFERNORVM (He was given a name which is above every other name, so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend, heavenly, earthly or hellish).
Apse fresco, Chiesa del Gesù, Rome
Adoration of the Lamb of God by lo Spadarino
The sanctuary was remodelled between 1834 and 1843 by the architect Antonio Sarti (1791-1880). A new high altar was installed in the neo-classical style, a far cry from the Baroque extravagance of the rest of the church. The altarpiece depicts the Circumcision of Christ (1840) and is by Alessandro Capalti (1807-68). The fresco in the apse is the Adoration of the Lamb of God by Giovanni Antonio Galli (1585-c.1651), also known as lo Spadarino. 

The rather fine half-length statue (1621-24) of St Robert Bellarmine, which stands on the left of the sanctuary, is by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680). Cardinal Bellarmine (1542-1621) was a Jesuit theologian, who was canonised on June 29th 1930 by Pope Pius XI (r. 1922-39). 

The left transept is home to the magnificent Cappella di Sant' Ignazio, which is dedicated to the founder of the Jesuits, St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556). 

The chapel in the right transept is dedicated to St Francis Xavier (1506-52), a friend and follower of St Ignatius, who worked as a missionary in the Far East, where he died. Sixty or so years later, an arm was removed from the saint’s body to be displayed in this chapel. The chapel was designed by Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669) and the altarpiece was painted by Carlo Maratta (1625-1713). ​

Gallery
IHS (emblem of the Jesuits), facade of Il Gesu, Rome
Dome of the church of the Gesu, Rome
'St Ignatius Loyola Trampling on Heresy', facade of the Chiesa del Gesù, Rome.jpg
'St Francis Xavier Treads on Paganism', facade of the Chiesa del Gesù, Rome
Statue of Cardinal Roberto Bellarmine by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Chiesa del Gesu, Rome

walking Tours of Rome

Copyright © David Lown 2001-2023. All Rights Reserved. 
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    • Ceiling: Part One >
      • Ceiling: Part Two
      • Ceiling: Part Three
    • The Last Judgement
  • Fountains
    • Fontana della Barcaccia
    • Fontana di Piazza delle Scole
    • Fountain of Moses
    • Fountain of Neptune
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    • Fountain of the Bees
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    • Fountain of the Four Rivers
    • Fountain of the Goddess Roma
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    • Fountain of the Naiads
    • Fountain of the Pantheon
    • Fountains of Piazza del Popolo
    • Fountain of the Porter
    • Fountains of St Peter's Square
    • Fountain of the Seahorses
    • Fountain of the Triton
    • Fountain of the Turtles
    • Four Fountains
    • Rioni Fountains
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    • Trevi Fountain
    • Venice Marries the Sea
  • Churches
    • Chiesa del Gesù >
      • Cappella di Sant' Ignazio
    • Chiesa Nuova
    • Lateran Baptistery
    • San Bartolomeo all' Isola
    • San Carlo ai Catinari
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    • San Clemente >
      • Cappella Castiglione
    • San Crisogono
    • San Francesco a Ripa >
      • Cappella Altieri
      • Cappella Rospigliosi-Pallavicini
    • San Giorgio in Velabro
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    • San Giovanni in Laterano >
      • Cappella Corsini
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      • Cappella Antamoro
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      • Cappella Contarelli
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    • San Sebastiano fuori le Mura >
      • Cappella Albani
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    • Sant' Anastasia
    • Sant' Andrea al Quirinale
    • Sant' Andrea della Valle
    • Sant' Andrea delle Fratte
    • Sant' Antonio dei Portoghesi
    • Sant' Ignazio di Loyola
    • Sant' Ivo alla Sapienza
    • Santa Caterina dei Funari
    • Santa Cecilia in Trastevere
    • Santa Costanza
    • Santa Croce in Gerusalemme >
      • Chapel of St Helen
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      • Cappella Cerasi
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    • Santa Maria del Priorato
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      • Chigi Chapel
      • Cloister of Bramante
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      • Cappella Cornaro
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      • Cappella Bufalini
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      • Chapel of St Catherine
      • Chapel of St Hyacinth
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    • Santi Nereo e Achilleo
    • Santi Quattro Coronati
    • Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio
    • Santissima Trinità degli Spagnoli
    • Santissima Trinità di Monti
    • Santissimo Nome di Maria
  • Palatine
  • Forum
    • Arch of Septimius Severus
    • Arch of Titus
    • Basilica of Maxentius
    • Curia Julia
    • Temple of Antoninus Pius
    • Temple of Castor and Pollux
    • Temple of Saturn
    • Temple of Venus and Rome
    • Temple of Vesta
  • Ancient Monuments
    • Aqueducts
    • Ara Pacis
    • Arch of Constantine
    • Arch of the Money-Changers
    • Arch of Janus
    • Aurelian Walls
    • Baths of Caracalla
    • Baths of Diocletian
    • Castel Sant' Angelo
    • Catacombs of Domitilla
    • Circus Maxentius
    • Circus Maximus
    • Colosseum
    • Column of Marcus Aurelius
    • Column of Trajan
    • Forum of Augustus
    • Forum of Trajan
    • Mausoleum of Augustus
    • Nymphaeum
    • Pantheon
    • Ponte Fabricio
    • Ponte Milvio
    • Ponte Rotto
    • Ponte Sant' Angelo
    • Porta Maggiore
    • Porta San Paolo
    • Porta San Sebastiano
    • Portico of Octavia
    • Pyramid of Cestius
    • Temple of Hadrian
    • Temple of Hercules
    • Temple of Portunus
    • Theatre of Marcellus
    • Tomb of Caecilia Metella
    • Via Appia
  • Obelisks
    • 'Minerveo' Obelisk
    • 'Flaminio' Obelisk
    • 'Matteiano' Obelisk
    • 'Lateran' Obelisk
    • 'Dogali' Obelisk
    • 'Macuteo' Obelisk
    • 'Solare' Obelisk
    • 'Vatican' Obelisk
    • 'Agonalis' Obelisk
    • 'Sallustiano' Obelisk
    • 'Quirinale' Obelisk
    • 'Esquiline' Obelisk
    • 'Pinciano' Obelisk
    • 'Mediceo' Obelisk
    • 'Torlonia' Obelisks
    • 'Mussolini' Obelisk
    • 'Marconi' Obelisk
  • Mosaics
    • S. Agnese fuori le Mura
    • S. Cecilia in Trastevere
    • S. Clemente
    • S. Francesca Romana
    • S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura
    • S. Marco
    • S. Maria in Domnica
    • S. Maria in Trastevere
    • S. Maria Maggiore
    • S. Prassede >
      • S. Zenone
    • S. Pudenziana
    • S. Venanzio
    • Ss. Cosma e Damiano
    • Ss. Nereo e Achilleo
  • Gallery
    • Ancient Rome
    • Churches
    • Domes
    • Fountains
    • Old Photographs
    • Palaces
    • Papal Coats of Arms
    • Street Shrines
  • Palazzi
    • Palazzo Barberini
    • Palazzo del Quirinale
    • Palazzo della Cancelleria
    • Palazzo della Consulta
    • Palazzo delle Esposizioni
    • Palazzo Farnese
    • Palazzo Farnesina
    • Palazzo Laterano
    • Palazzo Madama
    • Palazzo Spada
    • Palazzo Venezia
    • Villa Giulia
    • Villa Farnesina
    • Villa Medici
  • Galleries & Museums
    • Galleria Borghese
    • Galleria Colonna
    • Galleria Doria-Pamphilj
    • Musei Capitolini
  • Piazzas
    • Campo de' Fiori
    • Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta
    • Piazza del Campidoglio
    • Piazza del Popolo
    • Piazza del Quirinale
    • Piazza della Repubblica
    • Piazza Farnese
    • Piazza Navona
    • Piazza San Pietro
    • Piazza Vittorio
  • Miscellaneous
    • A Calendar of Saints
    • Antico Caffè Greco
    • Art of the Cosmati
    • Babington's Tea Rooms
    • Borromini & the Baroque
    • Catacombs
    • Cloisters
    • Column of the Immaculate Conception
    • Domes
    • EUR
    • Fascism
    • House of the Owls
    • Jewish Ghetto
    • Jubilee Years
    • Knights of Malta
    • Mithraism
    • Monumental Complex of S. Spirito in Sassia
    • Ponte Sisto
    • 'Protestant' Cemetery
    • Quartiere Coppedè
    • Spanish Steps
    • 'Talking' Statues
    • Tiber Island
    • Villa Borghese
    • Vittoriano
  • Rioni
    • Rione I - Monti
    • Rione II - Trevi
    • Rione III - Colonna
    • Rione IV - Campo Marzio
    • Rione V - Ponte
    • Rione VI - Parione
    • Rione VII - Regola
    • Rione VIII - Sant' Eustachio
    • Rione IX - Pigna
    • Rione X - Campitelli
    • Rione XI - Sant' Angelo
    • Rione XII - Ripa
    • Rione XIII - Trastevere
    • Rione XIV - Borgo
  • On This Day in Italy
    • January
    • February
    • March
    • April
    • May
    • June
    • July
    • August
    • September
    • October
    • November
    • December
  • Pictures from Italy
    • Florence >
      • A Literary Tour
      • Anna Maria Luisa: Last of the Medici
      • Casa-Galleria Vichi
      • Column of Justice
      • Column of St Zenobius
      • Cosimo I de' Medici
      • Cosimo II de' Medici
      • Costanza Bonarelli
      • David With Fig Leaf
      • Elizabeth Barrett Browning
      • Equestrian Statue of Cosimo I de' Medici
      • Equestrian Statue of Ferdinando I de' Medici
      • Festina Lente
      • Floods
      • Fontana del Bacchino
      • Fontana dei Puttini
      • Fountain of Neptune
      • Fountains of the Marine Monsters
      • Gian Gastone de' Medici
      • Girolamo Savonarola
      • Images of the Annunciation
      • Little Devil
      • Monument to Cellini
      • Palazzo Bartolini-Salimbeni
      • Palazzo Bianca Cappello
      • Palazzo Fenzi
      • Palazzo Viviani
      • Perseus and Medusa
      • Piazza Santa Maria Novella
      • Pope Leo XI
      • Porta della Mandorla
      • Rape of the Sabine Woman
      • Santa Maria Novella
      • Canons' Palace
      • Statue of Dante
      • Theft of the Century
      • Torre del Arnolfo
      • Twelve Good Men
      • Villa Gamberaia
      • Wheel of the Innocents
      • 'Wine Windows'
    • Lazio >
      • Bomarzo: Parco dei Mostri
      • Viterbo: Santa Rosa
    • Tuscany >
      • Arezzo: Giorgio Vasari
      • Lucca: Puccini
      • Pistoia: Ospedale del Ceppo
      • Siena: The Balzana
      • Siena: The Palio
    • Venice >
      • Ab Urbe Condita
      • Acqua Alta
      • Bartolomeo Colleoni
      • Barque of Dante
      • Burano
      • Caffè Florian
      • Daniele Manin
      • Flagpoles
      • Giustina Rossi
      • Gondolas
      • Harry's Bar
      • Henry James
      • House of Three Eyes
      • King Victor Emmanuel II
      • Map of Venice
      • Martinmas
      • Master of the House
      • Palazzo Contarini Fasan
      • Ponte Borgoloco
      • Ponte Chiodo
      • Punta del Dogana
      • Scacciadiavoli
      • Shrine of St Lucia
      • Sior Antonio Rioba
      • The 'Book Shitter'
      • The Lion's Mouth
      • Tommaso Rangone
      • Torcello
      • Venus
      • 'Viennese Oranges'
      • Wellheads
      • Winged Lions