Join you in the World Travel Series - Europe: Wandering in Rome (1) Church Series.
Travel. The Jesuit church in Rome, Italy, is the mother church of the Catholic Society of Jesus, which began in 1551 and is the highest status of all Jesuit churches in the world. Above the main entrance of the church is carved a large Jesuit symbol: IHS, which is the first three letters of the Greek word for Jesus.
The first Baroque building: the Roman Jesuit Synagogue. This unremarkable church on the outside is the world's first Baroque building, and the interior is lavishly decorated. The design of the church has only one nave with no side aisles, and as soon as you step into the church, you will directly enter the nave, so that all the focus is on the main altar, which is the most important part. This emphasis on functionalism and concentration became the model for all later Jesuit churches, especially those of the American Society of Jesus.
The most proud ceiling fresco in the interior of the church, "The Triumph in the Name of Jesus", was created in the 17th century by the Liliani artist Giovanni Battista Gouri, and the artist's skill in creating a three-dimensional effect is breathtaking. The church also has a mirror under the ceiling frescoes so that everyone can admire the masterpiece.
The vaults, domes and altar ceilings of the church are all covered with beautiful frescoes and Baroque decorations, as are the spectacular large domes and skylights at the crossroads. The whole church is magnificent and free, and European architectural decorative art entered the Baroque era under the guidance of this Jesuit church.
The left transept of the church, which serves as an altar dedicated to St. Ignatius, the founder of the Society of Jesus, is richly carved and marble-decorated.