Join us on a journey through Baroque splendor! Explore secret corridors, magnificent frescoes, and the sacred sites tied to St. Ignatius of Loyola. Discover a side of Rome few ever experience!
The Church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus in Rome, best known as the Church of Jesus or more simply as Il Gesù, is the mother church of the Society of Jesus. In the area now occupied by the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva and the former convent, three temples dedicated to Minerva, Isis, and Serapis once stood. As early as the 8th century, next to these temples stood a small church that Pope Zacharias granted to Basilian nuns who had fled from the East. The mock dome
It is among Andrea Pozzo's most famous works, best known for its effect of awe and wonder.
With a play on perspective, the artist creates a mock architecture through painting. For the masterpiece, he was inspired by the sets he had already painted for the Quarantore. Pozzo shifts the vanishing point of perspective toward the vault of the nave. The effect captures the visitor advancing through the church.
