Discover Church of the Gesù

Last updated on October 1, 2026

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Checked against Wikipedia — The Church of the Gesù, officially the Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Gesù, is located at Piazza del Gesù in the Pigna rione of Rome and is the mother church of the Society of Jesus, with its facade described as the first truly baroque facade, the church serving as a model for innumerable Jesuit churches all over the world especially in Central Europe and in the Portuguese colonies, and its paintings in the nave, crossing and side chapels becoming models for art in Jesuit churches throughout Italy and Europe, Construction of the Gesù began on 26 June 1568 to Vignola's design, Vignola being assisted by the Jesuit Giovanni Tristano who took over from him in 1571 and who on his death in 1575 was succeeded by the Jesuit architect Giovanni de Rosis, while Giacomo della Porta was involved in the construction of the cross-vault, dome and apse; Vignola's rejected facade design remains in an engraving of 1573, and the church was consecrated by Cardinal Giulio Antonio Santorio, the delegate of Pope Gregory XIII, on 25 November 1584, Aesthetics across the Catholic Church were strongly influenced by the Council of Trent whose suggestion of simplification prompted Charles Borromeo to reform ecclesiastical building practise, and evidence of attention to his writings can be found at the Gesù: there is no narthex in which to linger, the visitor being projected immediately into the body of the church, a single nave without aisles so that the congregation is assembled and attention is focused on the high altar, with a series of identical interconnecting chapels behind arched openings in place of aisles, The Gesù was constructed with a single nave and a dome at the nave and transept intersection so that the congregation could clearly hear the words of the sermon, with inlaid polychrome marble revetments relieved by gilding, frescoed barrel vaults and rhetorical white stucco and marble sculptures breaking out of their tectonic framing, and after its example was set experiments in Baroque church floor plans, oval or Greek cross, were largely confined to smaller churches and chapels (October 2026).

Discover Church of the Gesù

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Discover Church of the Gesù

Architecture

The Short History

How It Was Built and Evolved Over Time

Frequently Asked Questions

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