Church of St Ignatius of Loyola

Church of St Ignatius of Loyola : The Michelin guide review

This copy of the St Ignatius of Rome was designed by the Roman architect Andrea Pozzo from 1699. Its style is fully characteristic of the Counter Reformation (curves, columns, pilasters, pediments, dome, moulding and inner cornices). The opulent frescoes (1735-37) are the work of the Sicilian Gaetano Garcia. To the left, note the grotto of Lourdes (unusual in a church and in 1885, one of the first examples of this style in Europe). It bears witness to the importance of the Virgin for the Jesuits.