07_28_09_Chiesa del Gesù

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Il Gesu was the first church to be founded by the Jesuits in 1551, by Saint Ignatius. It is in the baroque style, and located in the Piazza del Gesu. One of the church’s best features and what makes it one of my favorites is the ceiling fresco and cupola, painted by Giovanni Battista Gaulli. As in several of the Jesuit churches we’ve seen, the ceiling makes use of striking three dimensional visuals, with the artwork spilling over the molding and many sculpted figurals that are literally coming out of the ceiling. Il Gesu also houses the tomb of St. Ignatius, in the St. Ignatius chapel, designed by Andrea Pozzo. The chapel is very extravagant with a large statue of the saint surrounded by four columns, and a heavily gilded bronze urn which holds the body of Saint Ignatius.
Peter Stevens, Survey of Art and Architecture, St. John's University

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The Gesu was the first Jesuit church to be built in Rome. It was completed between 1568 and 1584. Its design highlights the Counter-Reformation Baroque architecture and has been much imitated throughout the Catholic world. It was designed and constructed by architects Giocomo Barozzi da Vignola and Giacomo della Porta. It was commissioned by Alessandro Cardinal Farnese, grandson of Pope Paul III. It is the mother church of the Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic religious order also known as the Jesuits. The ceiling frescoes are one of the most vibrant decorations of the Church. It illustrates the grandiose Triumph of the Name of Jesus; which was drawn by Giovanni Batista Gaulli. The dome, also drawn by Gaulli, has a clear and confident message: the faithful, Catholic worshipers will be joyfully uplifted into the heavens while Protestants and other heretics are flung into hell’s fires. The Chapel of St. Ignazio was designed by Andrea Pozzo, a Jesuit artist, and it houses the saint’s tomb. This is considered the Church’s masterpiece. Above its altar is a statue of the saint, framed by gilded lapis lazuli columns. The chapel was built in 1696-1700. The Church is also house to the venerated 15th century image of the Madonna della Strada. I chose the Church of the Gesu for my journal entry because it is a historic paradigm to many churches which have fallowed. It is the first Jesuit church in Rome and its outstanding decorations, chapels, and nave ceiling truly bring it to life. At the time it was built, the common Romans were more than likely awed by its splendid gilded chapels and colorful frescoes.
Luisa Betancur, Survey of Art and Architecture, University of Florida