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This fascinating church of St. Ignazio was built in 1626 in honour of St. Ignatius who was the founder of the Society of Jesus (also called the Jesuits) and a leading figure in the Counter Reformation. This is one of the most elaborately decorated churches with precious stones, marble and gilt all over its vast interior. The most striking aspect of this church is the cupola - which, as an architectural feature, does not actually exist. The plans to build one were scrapped because of local objection and so one was painted onto the ceiling instead. The effect is that of the appearance of a real three dimensional cupola. The idea behind this "perspective trick" is repeated with the ceiling painting of 1685 by Andrea Pozzo extolling the successes of Jesuit missionaries throughout the known world. When the ceiling and dome are viewed from the centre of the church they appear to be perfectly in perspective. As you move from this point, the cupola and ceiling become more distorted. This church is not usually a priority venue for sightseers but it has one of the most interesting interiors of any Roman church outside the Vatican and it is well worth a look. Whenever I have taken guests there, they have always considered it as one their most favourite "discoveries" in Rome. Further information on St. Ignazio, St. Ignatius The Piazza of St. Ignatio di Loyola (1727, Filippo Raguzzini) is an attractive piazza. .This whole piazza, enclosed by five small buildings, was commissioned by the Jesuits as a setting for their church, built 100 years earlier in pure Baroque style. The piazza is in a style midway between Baroque and Rococo which architecture historians call "Barocchetto Romano". Another example is the Spanish Steps. They use purely abstract curvilinear shapes to give a feeling of limitless space in a relatively cramped situation. They give some light relief in a city where the grand palaces tend to be classic and heavy. Here Raguzzini's facades follow the curves of three intersecting oval shapes, creating a series of concave and convex surfaces that delight the eye with their elegant movement. Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola. (1626-50, Father Orazio Grassi). Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi, nephew of Pope Gregory XV (1621-23) built this Baroque beauty to honor the founder of the Society of Jesus whom his uncle had canonized. The design follows that of the nearby Chiesa del Gesù, mother-church of the Society, and shows the influence of Algardi, Domenichini and Maderno. But the final architect, Grassi, was a Jesuit priest and so was the man responsible for the church's unforgettable ceiling paintings, Father Andrea Pozzo. The most famous of these is the false perspective of what appears to be a soaring dome over the crossing, which Pozzo painted to replace the cupola Grassi designed before Ludovisi's money ran out.
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