The Church of the Counter Reformation

Of great artistic style, the church of the Jesus, located in the square of the same name, is one of the architectural gems of our city. Built according to the rigid canons of the Counter-Reformation, in a style straddling the Renaissance and the Baroque, it represented a model widely imitated in many churches to be built in the centuries to come, not just in Italy, but throughout the European continent. The rich interior preserves magnificent decorations by the painter Baciccia that express the richness and exuberance of the Baroque style

Saint Ignatius and his rooms

The history of this building is linked to the figure of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order, where the rooms in which he lived and worked until the year of his death are still preserved intact. An unmissable part of this visit will be the surprising corridor frescoed by the Jesuit architect and the mathematician Andrea Pozzo, an extraordinary example of perspective virtuosity and optical illusion, with fake architectural elements which open up spaces that seem endless.

The Baroque Machine

Momentum imbued with spirituality, is what will be awaiting us at the end of the visit, when we will witness the so-called “baroque machine”. A precious statue of Saint Ignatius in glory is usually hidden behind a painted panel, but at a certain time, accompanied by the music of an ancient organ, the panel slides away to reveal to us the statue illuminated by spotlights.This will allow us to have the same astonishing experience as those faithful romans witnessing the spectacle for the first time in the Baroque-era city of the popes.