The Dome Illusion of St. Ignatius
Another beautiful hidden spot of Rome in the city center that you can go to admire without paying a dime is the square of Sant'Ignazio and his church with the same name.
Infact, before you even go into this amazingly frescoed baroque Jesuit church tucked in the heart of Rome, take a moment to sit on the steps and just look around the tiny square in front of you. It is like being on a baroque stage set. The architect Filippo Raguzzini created PiazzaSant'Ignazio draws on a theatrical model, in this case urbanistically inverting the traditional relationship of stage to audience. Typical Roman piazzas provide a space of gathering and dramatic setting for a key note building. in Raguzzini’s design. the piazza itself, rather than the church of Sant'Ignazio, is the main focus. The domestic structures opposite the church are symmetrically carved into dynamic profiles that form a backdrop to the piazza. The church steps become seating for an audience, and the everyday citizen tak escentre stage as an actor in the daily events that unfold against the piazza.
On the other side of the square there is the church, a Roman Catholic titular one, of deaconry rank, dedicated to Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, Built by the Jesuit architect Orazio Grassi in Baroque style between 1626 and 1650 This Jesuit church was supposed to have a glorious dome, but when the money ran out in 1642, the plans were scrapped. Instead of foregoing the dome entirely, painter and Jesuit brother Andrea Pozzo proposed that he paint a life-sized illusion of a dome that would fool the eyes of visitors (as long as they looked up from the proper angle). His masterpiece of trompe-l'oeil, painted on a flat surface, still fools the eye today. Painted between 1685 and 1694, it is a remarkable piece of perspective work.
Pozzo painted another illusion for the barrel-vaunted ceiling of Saint Ignazio. The huge painting depicting the life and works of Saint Ignatius lifts and expands the simple building skyward, using forced perspectives to move figure up into the heights. The technique is known as quadratura, a mixture of geometrically accurate architecture in forced perspective and elements of fantasy, like cherubs and floating saints. Pozzo wrote a book on the subject called Perspectiva Pictorum and Architectorum, which was very influential with other Baroque painters.
Both the dome and the central illustration are painted on a single 17 meter canvas. His work on the illusions was so well received that he was granted the commission for the rest of the artwork in the church.
In April of 1891 an enormous powder magazine explosion just outside the city rocked Rome and damaged the ceiling artwork. (It also collapsed part of the roof of the Parliament building and sent the city into a general panic.) A restoration in 1961 repaired the illusion.
The best way to view the illusion is to enter the church, keeping your eyes low until you reach the circular marble marker that indicates the ideal vantage point for taking in the dome illusion. A second marker on the floor indicates the ideal viewing spot for the rest of the ceiling.
Now keep walking toward the transept, but keep your eye on that "dome." The closer you get, the odder and odder it looks.That's because it isn't a dome at all.
On sunny days, the illusion is quite effective; if its cloudy outside, the inside of the "dome" with sunlight "streaming in" will look a bit funny.
Getting There:
Probably the best way to go to Piazza Sant'Ignazio if you don't want to walk is the Hop-on/hop-off: stop in Fontana Di Trevi. But it is very close to the Pantheon so, we suggest you to walk from there going on Via del Seminario that will bring you into Piazza di Sant'Ignazio.
The church is open on mon. to sat. 7:30 am - 7:00 pm; sun. and holidays 9:00 am - 7:00 pm; There are Guided tours for free only on tue, thu, sat 3:00 pm -6:00 pm.
Check the atac website if you want to go with a public bus, for example from Stazione termini you can take number 64 that will stop in via del Plebiscito, very close to the church.
Address: Via del caravita 8A, 00166 tel. +39-06-679-4406
Recap: you should visit this corner of Rome and admire the square, and the church with his two masterpiece o f Andrea Pozzo for free.
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