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Walking Tours of Rome

 Sant' Ignazio di Loyola


Map
Church of Sant' Ignazio, Rome
Sant' Ignazio di Loyola

The 17th century church of Sant' Ignazio di Loyola is dedicated to St Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), the Spanish soldier turned priest, who was the founder of the Order of Jesus, better known as the Jesuits. The building of Sant' Ignazio di Loyola a Campo Marzio, to give the church its full name, was partly funded by Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi (1595-1632).
 
The church was designed by a group of architects chaired by Orazio Grassi (1583-1654), who was a Jesuit priest, mathematician and astronomer. Work began in 1626, four years after the canonisation (March 12th, 1622) of Ignatius di Loyola by the cardinal's uncle, Pope Gregory XV (r. 1621-23). Both cardinal and pope are interred in the church. 

While the church was opened for public worship in the Holy Year of 1650, it wasn't actually completed until 1685. The facade sports an inscription in honour of Cardinal Ludovisi: S ⋅ IGNATIO ⋅ SOC ⋅ IESV ⋅ FVNDATORI ⋅ LVD ⋅ CARD ⋅ LVDOVISIVS ⋅ S ⋅ R ⋅ E ⋅ VICE ⋅ CANCELLAR ⋅ A ⋅ DOM ⋅ MDCXXVI (To St Ignatius, founder of the Society of Jesus, Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi, Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church, the year of the Lord, 1626).
Inscription to Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi,  counter facade of the church of Sant' Ignazio, Rome
Inscription to Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi
There is a longer inscription to Cardinal Ludovisi on the counter-facade. It is flanked by stucco statues of Religion and Glory, the work of Alessandro Algardi (1598-1654). The inscription is crowned with the Ludovisi family's coat of arms. A pair of putti seem to be in the act of adding the cardinal's hat! 
Nave, church of Sant' Ignazio di Loyola, Rome
Nave
The fresco of The Glory of St Ignatius (c. 1688-94), which fills the entire vault of the nave, is the work of Andrea Pozzo (1642-1709), a painter and mathematician, who was also a Jesuit lay-brother. When viewed from the correct spot, which is marked by a small marble disc in the centre of the pavement, the perspective takes your breath away! 
Apotheosis of St Ignatius by Andrea Pozzo, church of Sant' Ignazio di Loyola, Rome
Apotheosis of St Ignatius by Andrea Pozzo
The two inscriptions, one at each of the vault, read: IGNEM VENI METTERE IN TERRA (I am come to send fire on the earth) and ET QVID VOLO NISI VT ACCENDETVR (And what will I, if it be already kindled?), a verse from The Gospel of St Luke (12:49). Ignem is, of course, a pun on the name Ignatius. 

In addition to depicting the apotheosis of St Ignatius, the fresco also exalts the activity of the Jesuit Order in the four corners of the world with allegories of the four continents then known: Africa, Asia, America and Europe. 
Fake dome by Andrea Pozzo, church of Sant' Ignazio, Rome
Fake Dome
Pozzo also painted the faux dome. The real dome was never built; the 'dome' we see is simply a painted image on a flat canvas, 17 metres in diameter. The original canvas was destroyed in a fire at the start of the 19th century and was replaced in 1823 by a faithful copy, the work of Francesco Manno, who had access to Pozzo's original cartoons. 

The pendentives were also painted by Pozzo and depict four figures from the Old Testament: Judith, David, Samson and Jael. 
Apse, church of Sant' Ignazio di Loyola, Rome
Apse
The paintings in the apse, of scenes from the life of St Ignatius, are also by Pozzo. The fresco in the vault of the half-dome depicts St Ignatius ministering to the plague-stricken. The altarpiece depicts the divine assurance that the saint received in a vision he had in a chapel at La Storta, which lies a short distance to the north of Rome. Above the altarpiece is an inscription: EGO VOBIS ROMAE PROPITIUS ERO (I will be favourable to you in Rome), the words that Christ spoke to St Ignatius in the vision depicted below. 
Chapel of the Annunciation, church of Sant' Ignazio, Rome
Chapel of the Annunciation
Pozzo also designed the transept chapels. The two monumental and matching altars are dedicated to St Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-91) and St John Berchmans (1599-1621), two Jesuit students who both died in their early twenties while studying in Rome. 

The altar in the right transept is dedicated to St Aloysius Gonzaga and the marble bas-relief (1698), depicting the apotheosis of the saint, is the work of the French sculptor Pierre Legros the Younger (1666-1719). The two marble angels, which hold lilies in honour of the saint's purity, are by Bernardino Ludovisi (c. 1693-1749). 

The altar in the left transept is dedicated to St John Berchmans. The marble bas-relief of the Annunciation is by the Florentine sculptor Filippo della Valle (1698-1768). The angels are the work of the Roman sculptor Pietro Bracci (1700-73). 

The enormous pairs of Solomonic columns are carved from verde antico, a dark green marble quarried in Greece. 
Lancellotti Chapel, church of Sant' Ignazio, Rome
Lancellotti Chapel
In the Cappella Ludovisi, to the right of the sanctuary, lies the funerary monument of Pope Gregory XV (r. 1621-23) and his nephew, Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi (1595-1632). It was designed by the French sculptor Pierre Legros (1666-1719), and created between 1709 and 1719.
Funerary monument of Pope Gregory XV by Pierre Legros, church of Sant' Ignazio, Rome
Funerary Monument of Pope Gregory XV
Íñigo López de Loyola was canonised by Pope Gregory XV on March 12th 1622, while the building of the church was partly funded by his wealthy cardinal-nephew. The amusing inscription on the monument proclaims: ALTER IGNATIVM ARIS ALTER ARAS IGNATIO (One raised Ignatius to the altar, the other raised an altar to Ignatius).

The two seated female figures represent Religion and Munificence and have been attributed to Pierre-Etienne Monnot (1657-1733). The trumpeting angels representing Fame are also thought to be the work of Monnot. 

The stucco statues in the corners of the chapel, the work of Camillo Rusconi (1658-1728),  depict the four Cardinal Virtues.  ​​​​​

Gallery
Apotheosis of St Ignatius (det.), fresco by Fra Andrea Pozzo (1642-1709), church of Sant' Ignazio, Rome
Coat of arms of Pope Gregory XV (1621-23), church of Sant' Ignazio, Rome
The Annunciation, bas-relief by Filippo della Valle (1698-1768), church of Sant' Ignazio, Rome
Apotheosis of St Aloysius Gonzaga (1698), relief by Pierre Legros the Younger, church of Sant' Ignazio, Rome
Angel with Lily, sculpture by Bernardino Ludovisi (1693-1749), Chapel of St Aloysius Gonzaga, church of Sant' Ignazio, Rome
Angel with Serpent by Pietro Bracci, church of Sant' Ignazio di Loyola, Rome

walking Tours of Rome

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    • Courtyard of the Pinecone
    • Gallery of the Candelabras
    • Gallery of the Maps
    • Gallery of the Tapestries
    • Greek Cross Hall
    • Picture Gallery
    • Pius-Clementine Museum
    • 'Raphael' Tapestries
    • Room of the Immaculate Conception
    • Sala di Costantino
    • Sala dei Chiaroscuri
    • Stanza della Segnatura
    • Stanza di Eliodoro
    • Stanza dell' Incendio
  • Sistine Chapel
    • South Wall
    • North Wall
    • East Wall
    • Ceiling
    • Last Judgement
  • Fountains
    • A Miscellany of Fountains
    • Trevi Fountain
    • Bernini's Fountains
    • Fontana della Barcaccia
    • Fontana della Peschiera
    • Fontana Sallustiana
    • Fountain in Piazza Colonna
    • Fountain in Piazza delle Cinque Scole
    • Fountain in Piazza dell' Aracoeli
    • Fountain in Piazza Nicosia
    • Fountain in Piazza di S.M. in Trastevere
    • Fountain of Moses
    • Fountain of Neptune
    • Fountain of Ponte Sisto
    • Fountain of the Acqua Paola
    • Fountain of the Bees
    • Fountain of the Cannonball
    • Fountain of the Frogs
    • Fountain of the Four Rivers
    • Fountain of the Goddess Roma
    • Fountain of the Lateran Obelisk
    • Fountain of the Little Barrel
    • Fountain of the Mask
    • Fountain of the Moor
    • Fountain of the Naiads
    • Fountain of the Pantheon
    • Fountains of Piazza Farnese
    • Fountains of Piazza del Popolo
    • Fountain of Piazza Viminale
    • Fountain of Ponte Sisto
    • Fountain of the Porter
    • Fountain of the Seahorses
    • Fountain of the Triton
    • Fountain of the Tritons
    • Fountain of the Tureen
    • Fountain of the Turtles
    • Fountains of St Peter's Square
    • Fountains of the Two Seas
    • Fountains of Valle Giulia
    • Four Fountains
    • Rioni Fountains
    • Street Fountains
    • Venice Marries the Sea
  • On This Day in Rome
    • January
    • February
    • March
    • April
    • May
    • June
    • July
    • August
    • September
    • October
    • November
    • December
  • Churches
    • Top Ten Churches
    • Churches by Location
    • Little-known Churches
    • Cosmatesque Pavements
    • Funerary Monuments
    • Chiesa del Gesù >
      • Chapel of St Ignatius
    • Chiesa di Gesù e Maria
    • Chiesa Nuova
    • Domine Quo Vadis
    • Lateran Baptistery
    • Re Magi
    • S. Agata dei Goti
    • S. Agata in Trastevere
    • S. Agnese fuori le Mura
    • S. Agnese in Agone
    • S. Agostino
    • S. Alessio
    • S. Anastasia al Palatino
    • S. Andrea al Quirinale
    • S. Andrea della Valle
    • S. Andrea delle Fratte
    • S. Angelo in Pescheria
    • S. Anna dei Palafrenieri
    • S. Antonio dei Portoghesi
    • S. Apollinare
    • Ss. Apostoli
    • S. Balbina
    • S. Barbara dei Librai
    • S. Bartolomeo all' Isola
    • S. Benedetto in Piscinula
    • S. Bernardo alle Terme
    • S. Bibiana
    • S. Brigida
    • S. Carlo ai Catinari
    • S. Carlo al Corso
    • S. Carlo alle Quattro Fontane
    • S. Caterina a Magnanopoli
    • S. Caterina dei Funari
    • S. Caterina da Siena
    • S. Cecilia in Trastevere
    • Ss. Celso e Giuliano
    • S. M. in Monticelli
    • Ss. Claudio e Andrea
    • S. Clemente >
      • Cappella Castiglione
    • Ss. Cosma e Damiano
    • S. Crisogono
    • S. Costanza
    • S. Croce in Gerusalemme >
      • Chapel of St Helen
    • Ss. Domenico e Sisto
    • S. Dorotea
    • S. Eusebio
    • S. Eustachio
    • S. Francesco a Ripa >
      • Cappella Altieri
      • Cappella Rospigliosi-Pallavicini
    • S. Francesca Romana
    • S. Giacomo degli Spagnoli
    • S. Giorgio in Velabro
    • S. Giovanni a Porta Latina
    • S. Giovanni Decollato
    • S. Giovanni dei Fiorentini
    • S. Giovanni della Pigna
    • Ss. Giovanni e Paolo
    • S. Giovanni in Laterano >
      • Cappella Corsini
      • Cappella Lancellotti
    • S. Girolamo dei Croati
    • S. Girolamo della Carità >
      • Cappella Antamoro
      • Cappella Spada
    • S. Giuliano dei Fiamminghi
    • S. Giuseppe dei Falegnami
    • S. Gregorio Magno
    • S. Ignazio di Loyola
    • S. Ivo alla Sapienza
    • S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura
    • S. Lorenzo in Damaso
    • S. Lorenzo in Lucina
    • S. Lorenzo in Miranda
    • S. Lucia del Gonfalone
    • S. Luigi dei Francesi >
      • Cappella Contarelli
    • Ss. Luca e Martina
    • Ss. Marcellino e Pietro
    • S. Marcello al Corso
    • S. Marco
    • S. Maria ad Martyres
    • S. Maria ai Monti
    • S. Maria Annunziata
    • S. Maria degli Angeli
    • S. Maria dei Miracoli
    • S. Maria della Concezione
    • S. Maria del Popolo >
      • Cappella Cerasi
      • Cappella Chigi
    • S. Maria dei Sette Dolori
    • S. Maria del Priorato
    • S. Maria della Consolazione
    • S. Maria della Pace >
      • Chigi Chapel
      • Cloister of Bramante
    • S. Maria della Scala
    • S. Maria della Vittoria >
      • Cappella Cornaro
    • S. Maria delle Grazie
    • S. Maria dell' Anima
    • S. Maria dell' Orazione e Morte
    • S. Maria dell' Orto
    • S. Maria di Loreto
    • S. Maria in Aracoeli >
      • Cappella Bufalini
    • S. Maria in Aquiro
    • S. Maria in Campitelli
    • S. Maria in Cosmedin
    • S. Maria in Domnica
    • S. Maria in Monserrato
    • S. Maria in Montesanto
    • S. Maria in Traspontina
    • S. Maria in Trastevere >
      • Cappella Altemps
    • S. Maria in Trivio
    • S. Maria in Via
    • S. Maria in Via Lata
    • S. Maria Maddalena
    • S. Maria Maggiore >
      • Baptistery
      • Cappella Paolina
      • Cappella Sistina
    • S. Maria sopra Minerva >
      • Cappella Carafa
      • Chapel of the Annunciation
    • S. Maria Scala Coeli
    • S. Martino ai Monti
    • Ss. Nereo e Achilleo
    • S. Nicola da Tolentino
    • S. Nicola dei Lorenesi
    • S. Nicola in Carcere
    • Ss. Nome di Maria
    • S. Onofrio al Gianicolo
    • S. Pancrazio
    • S. Pantaleo
    • S. Paolo alla Regola
    • S. Paolo alle Tre Fontane
    • S. Paolo fuori le Mura
    • S. Pasquale Baylon
    • S. Pietro in Montorio
    • S. Pietro in Vincoli
    • S. Prassede
    • S. Prisca
    • S. Pudenziana
    • Ss. Quattro Coronati
    • S. Rita da Cascia
    • S. Rocco
    • S. Saba
    • S. Sabina >
      • Chapel of St Catherine
      • Chapel of St Hyacinth
    • S. Salvatore in Lauro
    • S. Salvatore in Onda
    • S. Sebastiano fuori le Mura >
      • Cappella Albani
    • S. Silvestro in Capite
    • S. Sisto Vecchio
    • S. Spirito in Sassia
    • S. Stanislao dei Polacchi
    • S. Stefano Rotondo
    • Ss Stimmate di San Francesco
    • Ss. Sudario dei Piemontesi
    • S. Susanna
    • Ss. Trinità degli Spagnoli
    • Ss. Trinità dei Pellegrini
    • Ss. Trinità di Monti
    • Ss. Vincenzo e Anastasio
    • Ss. Vincenzo e Anastasio
    • S. Vitale
  • Cloisters
  • 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 Vespasian and Titus
    • Temple of Vesta
  • Ancient Monuments
    • Aqueducts
    • Ara Pacis
    • Arch of Constantine
    • Arch of Drusus
    • Arch of Gallienus
    • Arch of Janus
    • Arch of the Money-Changers
    • 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 Jupiter
    • Temple of Portunus
    • Theatre of Balbus
    • Theatre of Marcellus
    • Theatre of Pompey
    • 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
    • Sant' Agnese fuori le Mura
    • Santa Cecilia in Trastevere
    • San Clemente
    • Santa Costanza
    • Santa Francesca Romana
    • San Lorenzo fuori le Mura
    • San Marco
    • Santa Maria in Domnica
    • Santa Maria in Trastevere
    • Santa Maria Maggiore
    • Santa Prassede >
      • San Zenone
    • Santa Pudenziana
    • Santo Stefano Rotondo
    • San Teodoro
    • San Venanzio
    • Santi Cosma e Damiano
    • Santi Nereo e Achilleo
  • Palaces
    • Palazzo Barberini
    • Palazzo dei Conservatori
    • Palazzo del Quirinale
    • Palazzo della Cancelleria
    • Palazzo della Consulta
    • Palazzo delle Esposizioni
    • Palazzo Farnese
    • Palazzo Farnesina
    • Palazzo di Giustizia
    • Palazzo Laterano
    • Palazzo Madama
    • Palazzo Spada
    • Palazzo Venezia
    • Palazzo Zuccari
    • Villa Giulia
    • Villa Farnesina
    • Villa Medici
  • Galleries & Museums
    • Baths of Diocletian
    • Capitoline Museums
    • Etruscan Museum
    • Galleria Borghese
    • Galleria Colonna
    • Galleria Doria-Pamphilj
    • Palazzo Altemps
    • Palazzo Massimo
  • 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 Vittorio Emanuele II
  • Miscellaneous
    • A Calendar of Saints
    • A Literary Tour of Rome
    • Antico Caffè Greco
    • Babington's Tea Rooms
    • Barberini Bees
    • Borromini & the Baroque
    • Catacombs
    • Column of the Immaculate Conception
    • Domes
    • Equestrian Statues
    • EUR >
      • Museum of Roman Civilisation
    • Fasces
    • Flood Plaques
    • Galleria Sciarra
    • House of the Owls
    • Jewish Ghetto
    • Knights of Malta
    • Mithraism
    • Monumental Complex of S. Spirito in Sassia
    • Nolli Map of Rome
    • Ponte Sisto
    • Porta Pia
    • 'Protestant' Cemetery
    • Quartiere Coppedè
    • Scala Santa
    • Spanish Steps
    • Street Shrines
    • 'Talking' Palaces
    • 'Talking' Statues
    • Tiber Island
    • Views of Rome
    • Villa Borghese
    • Vittoriano
  • On This Day in Italy
    • January
    • February
    • March
    • April
    • May
    • June
    • July
    • August
    • September
    • October
    • November
    • December
  • The Bernini Trail
  • Baroque Sculptors
    • Alessandro Algardi
    • Pietro Bracci
    • Ercole Ferrata
    • Domenico Guidi
    • Pierre Le Gros
    • Giuseppe Mazzuoli
    • Antonio Raggi
    • Camillo Rusconi
    • Filippo della Valle
  • Florence
    • A Literary Tour
    • Anna Maria Luisa: Last of the Medici
    • Canons' Palace
    • 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
    • Flood Plaques
    • 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
    • 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
    • 421: Foundation of Venice
    • Acqua Alta
    • Bartolomeo Colleoni
    • Barque of Dante
    • Caffè Florian
    • Daniele Manin
    • Flagpoles
    • Giustina Rossi
    • Gondolas
    • Harry's Bar
    • Henry James
    • House of Three Eyes
    • Island of Lace
    • 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