Church of the Gesù
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Church of the Gesù | |
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Church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus at the "Argentina" | |
Groundbreaking | 1568 |
Completed | 1580 |
Specifications | |
Length | 75 metres (246 ft) |
Width | 35 metres (115 ft) |
Nave width | 25 metres (82 ft) |
Other dimensions | Façade direction: W |
Number of domes | 1 |
Administration | |
Diocese | Rome |
The Church of the Gesù (
First conceived in 1551 by Saint
History
Although Michelangelo, at the request of the Spanish cardinal Bartolomeo de la Cueva, offered, out of devotion, to design the church for free, the endeavor was funded by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese,[5] grandson of Pope Paul III, the pope who had authorized the founding of the Society of Jesus. Ultimately, the main architects involved in the construction were Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola,[6] architect of the Farnese family, and Giacomo della Porta. The church was built on the same spot as the previous church Santa Maria della Strada, where Saint Ignatius of Loyola had once prayed before an image of the Holy Virgin. This image, now adorned with gems, can be seen in the church in the chapel of Ignatius on the left side of the altar.
Construction of the church began on 26 June 1568 to Vignola's design. Vignola was assisted by the Jesuit Giovanni Tristano, who took over from Vignola in 1571. When he died in 1575 he was succeeded by the Jesuit architect Giovanni de Rosis. Giacomo della Porta was involved in the construction of the
The revision of Vignola's façade design by della Porta has offered architectural historians opportunities for a close comparison between Vignola's balanced composition in three superimposed planes and Della Porta's dynamically fused tension bound by its strong vertical elements.[3] Vignola's rejected design remains in an engraving of 1573.
The design of this church set a pattern for Jesuit churches that lasted into the twentieth century; its innovations require enumerating. Aesthetics across the Catholic Church as a whole were strongly influenced by the
The plan synthesizes the central planning of the High Renaissance,[c] expressed by the grand scale of the dome and the prominent piers of the crossing, with the extended nave that had been characteristic of the preaching churches, a type of church established by Franciscans and Dominicans since the thirteenth century. The Jesuits relied heavily on the acoustics of the church; they wanted the faithful to clearly hear the words of the sermon. This is why the church was constructed with a single nave, and a dome at the nave, transept intersection.[8]
Everywhere inlaid polychrome marble revetments are relieved by gilding, frescoed barrel vaults enrich the ceiling and rhetorical white stucco and marble sculptures break out of their tectonic framing. The example of the Gesù did not eliminate the traditional basilica church with aisles, but after its example was set, experiments in Baroque church floor plans, oval or Greek cross, were largely confined to smaller churches and chapels.
The church was consecrated by Cardinal
Façade
The façade of the church was modified and done later by Giacomo Della Porta. We can see two main sections which are decorated with acanthus leaves on pilasters and column capitals. The lower section is divided by six pairs of pilasters (with a mix of columns and pilasters framing the main door). The main door is well decorated with low relief, the papal coat of arms, and a shield with the
The two other doors have triangle pediments, and in the higher part of this first level, two statues are set in the alignment of each of these doors. A statue of St Francis Xavier stands on the right of the façade. His left foot on a human body. On the other side stands a statue of St Ignatius of loyola.
The upper section is divided with four pairs of pilasters and no statues. Upper and lower sections are joined by a volute on each side.
Interior decoration
The first high altar is believed to have been designed by Giacomo della Porta. It was removed during the renovations in the 19th century and its tabernacle was subsequently purchased by archbishop Patrick Leahy for his new cathedral where it was installed after some minor modifications.[9]
The present high altar, designed by Antonio Sarti (1797–1880), was constructed towards the middle of the 19th century. It is dominated by four columns under a neo-classical pediment. Sarti also covered the apse with marble and made the drawings of the tabernacle. The angels surrounding the IHS aureole were sculpted by Rinaldo Rinaldi (1793–1873). The two angels kneeling at each side of the aureole are the work of Francesco Benaglia and Filippo Gnaccarini (1804–1875). The altarpiece, representing the Circumcision of Jesus, was painted by Alessandro Capalti (1810–1868).[10] The ceiling of the apse is adorned by the painting Glory of the Mystical Lamb by Baciccia (Giovanni Battista Gaulli).[11]
The most striking feature of the interior decoration is the ceiling fresco, the grandiose Triumph of the Name of Jesus (1678-1679)[12] by Giovanni Battista Gaulli. Gaulli also frescoed the cupola, including lantern and pendentives, central vault, window recesses, and transepts' ceilings.[11]
The first chapel to the right of the nave is the Cappella di Sant'Andrea, so named because the church previously on the site, which had to be demolished to make way for the Jesuit church, was dedicated to
The second chapel to the right is the Cappella della Passione, with lunette frescoes depicting scenes of the Passion: Jesus in Gethsemane, Kiss of Judas, and six canvases on the pilasters: Christ at the column Christ before the guards, Christ before Herod, Ecce Homo, Exit to Calvary, and Crucifixion. The altarpiece of the Madonna with child and beatified Jesuits replaces the original altarpiece by
The third chapel to the right is the Cappella degli Angeli, which has a ceiling fresco of the Coronation of the Virgin and the altarpiece of Angels worshiping the Trinity by Federico Zuccari. He also painted the canvases on the walls, Defeat of the rebel angels on right, and Angels liberate souls from Purgatory on the left. Other frescoes represent Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory. The angles in the niches of the pilasters were completed by both Silla Longhi and Flaminio Vacca.
The larger Saint Francis Xavier Chapel, in the right transept, was designed by Pietro da Cortona, originally commissioned by Cardinal Giovanni Francesco Negroni. The polychromatic marbles enclose a stucco relief representing Francis Xavier welcomed to heaven by angels. The altarpiece shows the Death of Francis Xavier in Shangchuan Island by Carlo Maratta. The arches are decorated with scenes from the life of the saint, including Apotheosis of the saint in the center, Crucifixion, Saint lost at sea, and at left, Baptism of an Indian princess, by Giovanni Andrea Carlone. The silver reliquary conserves part of the saint's right arm (by which he baptized 300,000 people), his other remains are interred in the Jesuit church in Goa.
The last chapel on the far end of the nave, to the right of the high altar, is the chapel of the Sacro Cuore (holy heart of Jesus).
The sacristy is on the right. In the presbytery is a bust of Cardinal Robert Bellarmine by Bernini. The sculptor prayed daily in the church.[13]
The first chapel to the left, originally dedicated to the apostles, is now the Cappella di San Francesco Borgia, the former Spanish Duke of Gandia, who renounced his title to enter the Jesuit order, and become its third "Preposito generale". The altarpiece, Saint
The second chapel on the left is dedicated to the Nativity and called Cappella della Sacra Famiglia, commissioned by patron Cardinal Cerri who worked for the Barberini family. The altarpiece of the nativity is by
The third chapel to the left is the Cappella della Santissima Trinità, commissioned initially by the clerical patron Pirro Taro, named due to the main altarpiece by
The imposing and luxurious St. Ignatius Chapel with the saint's tomb is located on the left side of the transept and is the church's masterpiece, designed by
Originally the project was designed by Giacomo della Porta, then by Cortona; but ultimately Pozzo won a public contest to design the altar. A canvas of the Saint receives the monogram with the name of Jesus from the celestial resurrected Christ attributed to Pozzo. The urn of St. Ignatius is a bronze urn by
The St. Ignatius Chapel also hosts the restored macchina barocca or baroque machine of Andrea Pozzo. During daytime the statue of St. Ignatius is hidden behind a large painting, but every day at 17.30 triumphal music is played and the painting is lowered by the machine into the altar, revealing the statue, with spotlights used to highlight various aspects of the Ignatian Altar, while describing aspects of the history and spirituality of the Society of Jesus.[14]
The last chapel on the far end of the nave, to the left of the high altar, is the Chapel of the Madonna della Strada. The name derives from a medieval icon, once found in a now-lost Church in the piazza Altieri, venerated by Saint Ignatius. The interior is designed and decorated by Giuseppe Valeriani, who painted scenes from the life of the Virgin. The cupola frescoes were painted by G.P. Pozzi.
The pipe organ was built by the Italian firm, Tamburini. It is a large, three manual instrument with 5 divisions (pedal, choir, great, swell, and antiphonal). The swell and choir are enclosed. The pipes are split into three separate locations within the church. Two ornamented façades flank the transept walls (Swell and Great on the left and Choir and Pedal on the right) and a small antiphonal division is located above the liturgical west entrance.
Influence
The Church of the Gesù was the model of numerous churches of the Society of Jesus throughout the world, starting from the
Cardinal-deacons
In 1965, the Church of the Gesù was made a
- pro illa vice (1967–1986)[16]
- Eduardo Martínez Somalo (1988–2021; elevated to cardinal-priest pro illa vice in 1999)[17]
- Gianfranco Ghirlanda (2022–present)[18][19]
Gallery
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Triumph of the Name of Jesus by Giovanni Battista Gaulli
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Religion Overthrowing Heresy and Hatred by Legros
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Triumph of Faith over Idolatry by Theodon
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Original 16th-century tabernacle, moved to Thurles in Ireland
See also
- Church of the Gesu (Frascati)
- History of early modern period domes
- List of Jesuit sites
References
Footnotes
- ^ The name of Chiesa del Sacro Nome di Gesù is also used.
- Alberti's Sant'Andrea, Milan, begun in 1470.
- ^ The exemplar is Bramante's original plan for St. Peter's Basilica.
- Metropolitan Museum of New York
Citations
- ^ Society of Jesus. "Official Website". Archived from the original on 2009-02-25. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- ^ "Torre Argentina" or "Strasbourg Tower" was a name for this area of Rome (presently the rione of Pigna), surviving in the Largo di Torre Argentina and Teatro Argentina
- ^ a b Whitman 1970, p. 108.
- ISBN 1442610301.[page needed]
- ^ Haskell, Francis (2002). Patrons and Painters: A Study in the Relations Between Italian Art and Society in the Age of the Baroque. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 65-67.
- ^ Bruno Adorni, Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola (New York: Skira, 2008)
- ^ T. Vitaliano, Giacomo Della Porta: un architetto tra Manierismo e Barrocco (Roma: Bulzoni 1974).
- ^ Klaus, Reichold. Graf, Bernhard, and Wynne, Christopher. Buildings that Changed the World. New York: Prestel, 1999, p. 102
- ISBN 0-85389-452-3, pp. 204–205.
- ^ Betti, Salvatore, Giornale arcadico di scienze, lettere, ed arti, Volumes 199-201, Nella Stamperia de Romanis, 1867, p. 44
- ^ a b Haskell 2002, p. 83.
- ^ Hughes, Robert (2011). Rome.
- ^ Johnson, Paul. Art: A New History, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003, p. 391.
- ^ (in Italian) Presentazione della macchina barocca ideata da Fr. Andrea Pozzo Archived 2008-12-19 at the Wayback Machine (visited september 16th 2009)
- ^ Pagano, José León (1947). Documentos de Arte Argentino, Cuaderno XXII: El Templo de San Ignacio (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Publicaciones de la Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes. p. 18.
- ^ "The Official Catholic Directory for the Year of Our Lord ..." P.J. Kenedy. August 30, 1982 – via Google Books.
- ^ "The Official Catholic Directory for the Year of Our Lord ..." P.J. Kenedy. August 30, 2009 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Santissimo Nome di Gesù (Cardinal Titular Church) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org.
- ^ "La Nación / Nación Media en el Vaticano: Francisco, fiel a su estilo, moviliza a la Iglesia". www.lanacion.com.py.
Bibliography
- Whitman, Nathan T. (1970), "Roman Tradition and the Aedicular Façade", The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 29 (2): 108–123, JSTOR 988645
Further reading
- Bailey, Gauvin Alexander (2003), Between Renaissance and Baroque: Jesuit Art in Rome, 1565–1610, University of Toronto Press.[1] Archived 2020-01-02 at the Wayback Machine
- Pecchiai, Pio (1952). Il Gesù di Roma (in Italian). Rome: Società Grafica Romana.
External links
External videos | |
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Pozzo's Saint Ignatius Chapel in the church Il Gesù, 1695 (Rome), Smarthistory[1] | |
Il Gesù, Rome, Smarthistory[2] |
- Chiesa del Gesù (Rome) – Ordine dei Gesuiti website (in Italian and English)
- Jesuit International College
- Churches of Rome: Gesu
- IHS Christogram on facade
- Depiction og Ignatius of Loyola on facade
- "Beggar's Rome" - A self-directed virtual tour of the Church of the Gesu and other Roman churches
- ^ "Pozzo's Saint Ignatius Chapel in the church Il Gesù, 1695 (Rome)". Smarthistory at Khan Academy. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
- ^ "Il Gesù, Rome". Smarthistory at Khan Academy. Retrieved January 6, 2013.