2023-07-31 16:13:00
July 31, 2023 / 9:13 a.m.
This Monday, July 31, we celebrate the day of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus whose remains rest in one of the most emblematic churches of Rome.
Saint Ignatius of Loyola He died on July 31, 1556 in his cell at the Jesuit headquarters in Rome.what is known today as the church of the Gesù.
Did you know that this temple has several “trompe l’oeil”? Despite having been built in the 17th century, it presents some peculiarities and optical illusions typical of our time.
The construction of this church was the initiative of Pope Gregory XVI in 1622, and began its work in 1627 by the hand of Horazio Grassi, astronomer and Jesuit architect.
Upon entering, in the center of the temple there is a point that indicates exactly where to stop to contemplate one of these optical illusions.
If one looks up, the dome seems to be deformed. However, it is a “hoax”, since it is not the dome, but a painting.
This is due to the fact that economic difficulties prevented the builders from making a dome over the transept.
For this reason, the master painter and architect of optical illusions, Andrea del Pozzo, He achieved with his skill this “false dome” on a roof that is actually flat.
A false dome and three-dimensional ceiling by genius Andrea del Pozzo, the optical illusion artist at the Church of the Gesu in Rome. pic.twitter.com/LDTgd7ACHo
— Almudena Martínez-Bordiú (@AlmuMBordiu) July 31, 2022
Subscribe to ACI Press
Receive our most important news by email
Another of these illusions is found in the vault, also painted by Andrea del Pozzo in 1664 and which represents the evangelization of Saint Ignatius.
The ceiling seems to go on forever, as the drawn painting makes a three-dimensional effect. The figures depicted on the ceiling clouds they even seem to come out of the drawing and “float” on the air.
This artist, who belonged to the Society of Jesus, also had knowledge of geometry and mathematics that influenced his design of these paintings.
Besides, the apse wall appears to be multilateraldespite the fact that it is actually a concave wall.
In the paintings on the wall you can see different images of the vocation of Saint Ignatius and the Society of Jesus.
Almudena Martínez-Bordiú is a Spanish journalist, correspondent for ACI Prensa in Rome and the Vatican, with four years of experience in religious information.
#optical #illusions #church #Saint #Ignatius #Loyola #buried