The Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola

The church of Sant'Ignazio di Loyola was built on a design by the Jesuit mathematician Orazio Grassi, based on the plans of Carlo Maderno and others, and at the expense of Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi, nephew of Gregorio XV, as the inscription on the facade recalls; this is inspired by that of the nearby church of Gesù, with two orders of pilasters and Corinthian columns, enriched by large windows, niches with tympanum and folders.

The interior, in the shape of a Latin cross, has three chapels on each side intercommunicating with each other. The polychromy of the marble, the stuccoes, the pictorial decoration and the richness of the altars give the whole a sumptuous sumptuousness.The decorations on the ceiling of the grandiose vault of the nave are by Andrea Pozzo, brother of the Jesuit Order, and represent The Rise of Saint Ignatius into Paradise.

By Andrea Pozzo himself is the false dome located at the crossroads of the transept. It is a canvas, 13 metres in diameter, on which the Pozzo has created the perspective effect of the fake architecture. 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.

To be admired is the Monument to Pope Gregory XV, a late 17th century work situated in the room to the right of the apse, and the gigantic Statue of St. Ignazio, a work by Camillo Rusconi dated 1728, situated in the room to the left of the apse. Worthy of note is also the square overlooked by the church, built in rococo style by Filippo Raguzzini (1727-28).

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