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Church of the Gesù Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Gesù all'Argentina |
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Giacomo della Porta's façade of the Church of the Gesù, a precursor of the Baroque |
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Basic information | |
Location | [Italy] Rome, Italy |
Geographic coordinates | 41°53′45″N 12°28′47″E / 41.89583°N 12.47972°E / 41.89583; 12.47972Coordinates: 41°53′45″N 12°28′47″E / 41.89583°N 12.47972°E / 41.89583; 12.47972 |
Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
Year consecrated | 1584 |
Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Church |
Leadership | Daniele Libanori, S.J. |
Website | Official Website Jesuit International Collage |
Architectural description | |
Architect(s) | Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola Giacomo della Porta |
Architectural style | Mannerist |
Direction of façade | W |
Groundbreaking | 1568 |
Completed | 1580 |
Specifications | |
Length | 75 metres (246 ft) |
Width | 35 metres (115 ft) |
Width (nave) | 25 metres (82 ft) |
The Church of the Gesù (Italian: Chiesa del Gesù; Italian pronunciation: [ˈkjɛːza del dʒeˈzu]) is the mother church of the Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic religious order also known as the Jesuits. Officially named Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Gesù all'Argentina[1][2] (English: Church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus at the "Argentina"),[3] its facade is "the first truly baroque façade", introducing the baroque style into architecture.[4] The church served as model for innumerable Jesuit churches all over the world, especially in the Americas. The Church of the Gesù is located in the Piazza del Gesù in Rome.
First conceived in 1551 by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits Society of Jesus, and active during the Protestant Reformation and the subsequent Catholic Reformation, the Gesù was also the home of the Superior General of the Society of Jesus until the suppression of the order in 1773.[5]