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The Church of Sant'Ignazio
The Society of Jesus, established by Ignatius Loyola in 1540, soon attracted an increasing following and a large membership in Rome and throughout Europe, and to honor the memory of their founder, who died in 1556 and was canonized in 1622, the Jesuits built the church of Sant'Ignazio - the second Jesuit church in Rome, following the Gesł - among 1626 and 1650, with financial assistance from Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi, a nephew of Pope Gregory XV. Both the architect, Orazio Grassi, and the painter, Andrea Pozzo, were Jesuits.
The square in which the church stands, with something of the atmosphere of a stage set, and its outside facade are very much in the Baroque spirit, the interior even more so. The expansive wide nave (equally appropriate for preaching purposes and for conducting the service from one central spot), the linked side chapels and the extravagant decoration and furnishings, with their use of precious materials and elaborate ornamental patterns, were all calculated to draw the faithful back to the Church (this was the period of the Counter-Reformation).
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 Best of Rome
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