la, Ecclesia Sancti Ignatii a Loyola in Campo Martio , image = Sant'Ignazio Church, Rome.jpg , imagesize = 300px , caption = Façade of Sant'Ignazio , mapframe =yes , mapframe-caption =Click on the map for a fullscreen view , mapframe-zoom =12 , mapframe-marker =religious-christian , coordinates = , location = Via del Caravita, 8A

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, country =

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, denomination =

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

, website = , former name = , bull date = , founded date = , founder = , dedication = , dedicated date = , consecrated date = 1722 , relics = , status =

Parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church is a church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the clergy who is created a cardinal. These are Catholic churches in the city, within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Rome, that serve as honorary des ...

regional church , functional status = Active , heritage designation = , designated date = , architect = Orazio Grassi, S.J. , style =

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

, years built = , groundbreaking = 1626-08-02 , completed date = 1650 , capacity = , length = , width = , width nave = , height = , diameter = , other dimensions = Façade direction: N , dome quantity = 1 , dome height outer = , dome height inner = , dome dia outer = , dome dia inner = , parish = , diocese =

, province = The Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola at Campus Martius ( it, Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio di Loyola in Campo Marzio, la, Ecclesia Sancti Ignatii a Loyola in Campo Martio) is a

, of deaconry rank, dedicated to

Ignatius of Loyola Ignatius of Loyola, S.J. (born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; eu, Ignazio Loiolakoa; es, Ignacio de Loyola; la, Ignatius de Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spanish Catholic priest and theologian ...

, the founder of the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

, located in

. Built in

style between 1626 and 1650, the church functioned originally as the

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...

of the adjacent

Roman College The Roman College ( la, Collegium Romanum, it, Collegio Romano) was a school established by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1551, just 11 years after he founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). It quickly grew to include classes from elementary school t ...

, which moved in 1584 to a new larger building and was renamed the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

History

The Collegio Romano opened very humbly in 1551, with an inscription over the door summing up its simple purpose: "''School of Grammar, Humanity, and Christian Doctrine. Free''". Plagued by financial problems in the early years, the Collegio Romano had various provisional centres. In 1560, Vittoria della Tolfa, della Valle, donated her family ''isola'', an entire

city block A city block, residential block, urban block, or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. A city block is the smallest group of buildings that is surrounded by streets, not counting any type of thoroughfare within t ...

and its existing buildings, to the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

in memory of her late husband the Marchese della Guardia Camillo Orsini, founding the

Collegio Romano The Roman College ( la, Collegium Romanum, it, Collegio Romano) was a school established by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1551, just 11 years after he founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). It quickly grew to include classes from elementary school t ...

. She had previously intended to donate it to the

Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...

for the founding of a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

. The

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

s had already started to build what had been intended to become the Church of Santa Maria della Nunziata, erected on the spot where the Temple of Isis had stood. Although the Jesuits got the marchesa's land, they did not get any money from her for completing the church. Budgetary constraints compelled them to hire their own architect. Construction of the church was taken over by the Jesuit architect Giovanni Tristano. Built entirely by Jesuit labour, the Church of the Annunciation was first used for worship in 1567. A three-aisled church dedicated to the Most Holy

Annunciation The Annunciation (from Latin '), also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the biblical tale of the announcement by the ang ...

( it, Santissima Annunziata) was built by the Collegio Romano between 1562 and 1567 on the foundations of the pre-existing construction. Since the earlier church had already been built to the height of the ground floor in 1555, there was no way for the Jesuits to expand the structure to hold the increasing number of students attending the Collegio Romano. The facade was very similar to that of the contemporary Church of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale, which was also designed by Giovanni Tristano. In accordance with the wishes of the marchesa, the façade proudly displayed the Orsini arms. The Church of the Annunciation was enlarged in 1580 when

Pope Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII ( la, Gregorius XIII; it, Gregorio XIII; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585), born Ugo Boncompagni, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for ...

expanded the Collegio Romano itself, especially the side chapels. The old church became insufficient for over 2,000 students of many nations who were attending the College at the beginning of the 17th century.

Pope Gregory XV Pope Gregory XV ( la, Gregorius XV; it, Gregorio XV; 9 January 15548 July 1623), born Alessandro Ludovisi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 February 1621 to his death in July 1623. Biography Early life Al ...

, who was an old pupil of the

, was strongly attached to the church. Following the canonization of

in 1622, he suggested to his nephew, Cardinal

Ludovico Ludovisi Ludovico Ludovisi (22 or 27 October 1595 – 18 November 1632) was an Italian cardinal and statesman of the Roman Catholic Church. He was an art connoisseur who formed a famous collection of antiquities, housed at the Villa Ludovisi in Rome. B ...

, that a new church dedicated to the founder of the Jesuits should be erected at the college itself. The young cardinal accepted the idea, asked several architects to draw plans, among them

Carlo Maderno Carlo Maderno (Maderna) (1556 – 30 January 1629) was an Italian architect, born in today's Ticino, who is remembered as one of the fathers of Baroque architecture. His façades of Santa Susanna, St. Peter's Basilica and Sant'Andrea della Vall ...

. Ludovisi finally chose the plans drawn up by the Jesuit mathematician, Orazio Grassi, professor at the Collegio Romano itself. The foundation stone was laid only on August 2, 1626, four years later, a delay which was caused by the fact that a section of the buildings belonging to the Roman College had to be dismantled. The old church was eventually demolished in 1650 to make way for the massive Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola, which was begun in 1626 and finished only at the end of the century. In striking contrast to the Church of the Annunciation, which occupied only a small section of the Collegio Romano, the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola took up a quarter of the entire block when it was completed. The church was opened for public worship only in 1650, at the occasion of the Jubilee of 1650. The final solemn consecration of the church was celebrated only in 1722 by Cardinal Antonfelice Zondadari. The church's entrance now faces on to the

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

Place of San Ignazio was planned by the architect

Filippo Raguzzini Filippo Raguzzini (19 July 1690 – 21 February 1771) was an Italian architect best known for a range of buildings constructed during the reign of Benedict XIII. Biography Raguzzini was born in Naples into a family of stonemasons. Little is kn ...

Interior

The church has a Latin cross plan with numerous side chapels. The building was inspired by the Jesuit

mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral or a metropo ...

, the

Church of the Gesù , image = Church of the Gesù, Rome.jpg , imagesize = , caption = Giacomo della Porta's façade, precursor of Baroque , mapframe = yes , mapframe-caption = Click on the map for a full ...

in Rome (finished in the late 16th century). The imposing order of Corinthian pilasters that rings the entire interior, the theatrical focus on the high altar at the rear of the broad eastern apse, the church's colored marbles, animated stucco figural relief, richly ornamented altars, extensive gilding, and bold ''

trompe-l'œil ''Trompe-l'œil'' ( , ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. ''Trompe l'oeil'', which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into ...

'' paintings in the "dome" at its crossing and in the nave ceiling all produce a festive, sumptuous effect. Funds to build a dome were lacking, hence a painter to paint the illusion of a dome was hired. The nave's west wall has a sculptural group depicting ''Magnificence and Religion'' (1650) by

Alessandro Algardi Alessandro Algardi (July 31, 1598 – June 10, 1654) was an Italian high-Baroque sculptor active almost exclusively in Rome, where for the latter decades of his life, he was, along with Francesco Borromini and Pietro da Cortona, one of the majo ...

. Algardi also helped design the high reliefs in stucco that run on both lateral nave walls just above the entries to the chapels and beneath the nave's grandiose entablature. Other artworks in the church include a huge stucco statue of St. Ignatius by Camillo Rusconi (1728). Saints

Aloysius Gonzaga Aloysius de Gonzaga ( it, Luigi Gonzaga; 9 March 156821 June 1591) was an Italian aristocrat who became a member of the Society of Jesus. While still a student at the Roman College, he died as a result of caring for the victims of a serious epi ...

, Robert Bellarmine, and John Berchmans are buried in the church.

Frescoes of Andrea Pozzo

Andrea Pozzo Rome-SantIgnazio-DomeTrompeOeil Kuppel 1688-94

Andrea pozzo, gloria di sant'ignazio, 1685-94, 02

Andrea Pozzo Andrea Pozzo (; Latinized version: ''Andreas Puteus''; 30 November 1642 – 31 August 1709) was an Italian Jesuit brother, Baroque painter, architect, decorator, stage designer, and art theoretician. Pozzo was best known for his grandiose fresc ...

, a Jesuit lay brother, painted the grandiose fresco that stretches across the ceiling of the nave around 1685.Gietmann, G. (1911). Andreas Pozzo. The Catholic Encyclopedia
New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved November 15, 2022 It celebrates the work of Saint Ignatius and the Society of Jesus in the world presenting the saint welcomed into paradise by Christ and the Virgin Mary and surrounded by allegorical representations of all four continents. By the skilful use of linear perspective, light, and shade, he made the great barrel-vault of the nave of the church into an idealized aula from which is seen the reception of St. Ignatius into the opened heavens. Pozzo worked to open up, even dissolve the actual surface of the nave's barrel vault to make the observer see a huge and lofty cupola (of a sort), open to the bright sky, and filled with upward floating figures. A marble disk set into the middle of the nave floor marks the ideal spot from which observers might fully experience the illusion. A second marker in the nave floor further east provides the ideal vantage point for the ''

'' painting on canvas that covers the crossing and depicts a tall, ribbed and coffered dome. The cupola one expects to see here was never built and in its place, in 1685, Andrea Pozzo supplied a painting on canvas with a projection of a cupola. The original painting, completed in 1685, was destroyed by fire; in 1823 it was faithfully reproduced by Francesco Manno on the basis of drawings and studies left by the Pozzo."The Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola", Turismo Roma, Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion Department
/ref> Pozzo also frescoed the pendentives in the crossing with Old Testament figures: Judith, David, Samson, and Jaele. Pozzo also painted the frescoes in the eastern apse depicting the life and apotheosis of St Ignatius. The ''Siege of Pamplona'' in the tall panel on the left commemorates the wounding of Ignatius, which led to the convalescence that transformed his life. The panel over the high altar, ''Vision of St Ignatius at the Chapel of La Storta'', commemorates the vision that gave the saint his divine calling. ''St Ignatius sends St Francis Xavier to India'' recalls the aggressive Jesuit missionary work in foreign countries, and finally, ''St Ignatius Receiving

Francesco Borgia Francis Borgia ( ca-valencia, Francesc de Borja; es, Francisco de Borja; 28 October 1510 – 30 September 1572) was a Spanish Jesuit priest. The great-grandson of Pope Alexander VI, he was Duke of Gandía and a grandee of Spain. After th ...

'' recalls the recruitment of the Spanish noble who would become General of the Company of Jesuits. Pozzo is also responsible for the fresco in the conch depicting ''St. Ignatius Healing the Pestilent.''

Chapels

The first chapel on the right has an 18th-century altarpiece showing ''Saints

Stanislaus Kostka Stanisław Kostka S.J. (28 October 1550 – 15 August 1568) was a Polish novice of the Society of Jesus. He is venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Stanislaus Kostka (as distinct from his namesake, the 11th-century Bishop of Kraków ...

and

John Francis Regis Jean-François Régis, commonly known as Saint John Francis Regis and Saint Regis, (31 January 1597 – 31 December 1640), was a French priest of the Society of Jesus, recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church in 1737. A tireless p ...

Worshiping the Virgin and Child''. The second chapel has an altarpiece depicting ''St Joseph and Virgin'' and a lunette (right wall) depicting the ''Last Communion of St Luigi Gonzaga'', both by

Francesco Trevisani 200px, ''Portrait of Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni ''by Francesco Trevisani. The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham">Barnard_Castle.html" ;"title="Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle">Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham, England. Frances ...

(1656–1746); the cupola was painted by

Luigi Garzi Luigi Garzi (1638 – 1721) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, whose work displayed heavy influences of the Bolognese painter, Guido Reni. Biography Born in Pistoia. He started learning from a poorly known landscape painter, Salomon B ...

. The third chapel has an 18th-century altarpiece of ''Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple'' by

Stefano Pozzi Stefano Pozzi (9 November 1699 — 11 June 1768) was an Italian painter, designer, draughtsman and decorator whose career was spent largely in Rome. Born in Rome, he was one of four artist sons of his father, an innkeeper: Rocco (1701–74) ...

. The chapel in the right transept, dedicated to St.

, has a large marble high-relief depicting ''St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Glory'' (1697–99) by the French sculptor Pierre Le Gros. Andrea Pozzo painted the ceiling which also shows the ''Glory of the Saint''. Buried in the side altar next to Gonzaga is Cardinal St. Robert Bellarmine. The chapel in the left transept houses the relics of

Saint John Berchmans John Berchmans ( nl, Jan Berchmans ; 13 March 1599 – 13 August 1621) was a Jesuit scholastic and is a saint in the Catholic Church. In 1615, the Jesuits opened a college at Mechelen and Berchmans was one of the first to enroll. His spiritual m ...

. The chapel just to the right of the church's presbytery (at the south-east corner) houses the funerary monuments of

and his nephew, Cardinal

, the church's founder. Pierre Le Gros designed the monument and executed most of it himself c. 1709–14 with the exception of the two flying

personification Personification occurs when a thing or abstraction is represented as a person, in literature or art, as a type of anthropomorphic metaphor. The type of personification discussed here excludes passing literary effects such as "Shadows hold their ...

s of Fame which are by

Pierre-Étienne Monnot Pierre-Étienne Monnot (9 August 1657 – 24 August 1733) was a French sculptor from the Franche-Comté who settled in Rome in 1687 for the rest of his life. He was a distinguished artist working in a late-Baroque idiom for international clients. ...

. The chapel in the left transept has a marble altarpiece of the ''Annunciation'' by Filippo Della Valle, with allegorical figures and angels (1649) by

Pietro Bracci Pietro Bracci (1700–1773) was an Italian sculptor working in the Late Baroque manner. Biography He was born in Rome and became a student of Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari and Camillo Rusconi. His most familiar works are the colossal ''Oceanus' ...

, and a frescoed ceiling with ''The Assumption'' by Pozzo. The second and first chapels to the left have paintings by Jesuit Pierre de Lattre, who also did the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually locate ...

paintings.

List of cardinal deacons

The cardinal deaconry of Sant Ignazio di Loyola a Campo Marzio was established June 28, 1991. Its cardinals include: * Paolo Dezza, S.J. (28 June 1991 – 17 December 1999) *

Roberto Tucci Roberto Tucci, SJ (19 April 1921 – 14 April 2015) was a Jesuit cardinal and theologian. He was created cardinal by Pope John Paul II on 21 February 2001. Life Cardinal Tucci was born in Naples, Italy in 1921 and entered the Society of Jes ...

, S.J. (21 February 2001 — 12 February 2011; as

cardinal priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

21 February 2011 — 14 April 2015) * Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, S.J. (28 June 2018 - present)

Gallery

File:Lazio Roma SIgnazio tango7174.jpg, Apse File:Sant'Ignazio Church 2013-09-16.jpg, Interior File:Roma-santignazio7.jpg, Bellarmine chapel dome File:Medallion Ludovico Ludovisi Sant Ignazio.jpg, Medallion of Ludovico Ludovisi by Le Gros File:SantIgnazio-SLuigiGonzaga02-SteO153.JPG, ''Glory of St Aloysius Gonzaga'' (1697–99) by Le Gros File:Filippo della Valle – Annunziata.jpg, ''Annunciation'' (1750) by Della Valle

References

Bibliography

* Remigio Marini, ''Andrea Pozzo pittore'' (Trent, 1959). * N. Carbonieri, ''Andrea Pozzo architetto'' (Trent, 1961). * B. Canestro Chiovenda, "Della “Gloria di s. Ignazio” e di altri lavori del Gaulli per i gesuiti," ''Commentari'' 13 (1962), 290 ff. * Zaccaria Carlucci, ''La chiesa di S. Ignazio di Loyola in Roma'' ( oma: hiesa di S. Ignazio 995. * Evonne Levy, ''Propaganda and the Jesuit Baroque'' (Berkeley-Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2004).

External links

Church of St. Ignatius website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ignazio Church, Santo, Rome Roman Catholic churches completed in 1650

Ignazio Ignazio () is a masculine Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: Arts * Ignazio Collino (1736–1793), Italian sculptor *Ignazio Fresu (born 1957), Italian sculptor *Ignazio Gardella (1905–1999), Italian architect and designe ...

Religious organizations established in the 1550s Jesuit churches in Italy Burial places of popes Baroque church buildings in Rome National churches in Rome 1551 establishments in the Papal States Churches of Rome (rione Pigna) 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Burial sites of the House of Gonzaga Carlo Maderno buildings