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Church of Sant'Ignazio di Loyola in Campo Marzio

A Jesuit Baroque church built beside Piazza Sant'Ignazio, a few steps from the Pantheon. Work began in 1626 to a design by the Jesuit mathematician Orazio Grassi and was funded by Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi; it was consecrated in 1722. Its great attraction is the ceiling, painted by Andrea Pozzo around 1685 with the entry of St Ignatius into heaven and allegories of the four continents. As a dome was never built, Pozzo painted one on a canvas 13 metres in diameter, with feigned architecture in perspective. The original was lost in a fire and Francesco Manno repeated it in 1823 from Pozzo's own drawings. In the floor of the nave there are marble discs marking the points from which the illusion works best. Inside, the statue of St Ignatius by Camillo Rusconi, from 1728, and the monument to Gregory XV also stand out.

Things to do at Church of Sant'Ignazio di Loyola in Campo Marzio: 4 missions

• Discover the glory of St Ignatius on the ceilingWalk along the nave looking at the vault painted by Pozzo and pick out the figures of the four continents in the corners.
• Look up at Pozzo's false dome from belowStand beneath the crossing and look at the 13-metre canvas that imitates a dome. Move a few steps and watch how the perspective distorts.
• Find Rusconi's statue of St IgnatiusLook for the large statue of St Ignatius made by Camillo Rusconi in 1728 and observe its pose and its robes.
• Find the marble disc in the nave floorFind the marble disc set into the pavement of the nave, which marks the ideal viewpoint for seeing the painted ceiling.

Near Church of Sant'Ignazio di Loyola in Campo Marzio

Source: Web oficial - Turismo Roma