Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Photo ID is required for entry and children under 10 are not admitted.
The twin fountains in the square are enormous granite baths taken from the Terme di
Caracalla.
RUIN
Largo di Torre Argentina
( Largo di Torre Argentina)
A busy public transport hub, Largo di Torre Argentina is set
Republican-era temples, all built between the 2nd and 4th centuries BC. In the 1st century
BC, much of the area was covered by the Teatro di Pompeo, the vast theatre complex
where Julius Caesar was stabbed to death on the Ides of March (15 March) 44 BC.
GOOGLE MAP
( 06 684 00 03 11;
www.teatrodiroma.net
; Largo di Torre Argentina 52; tickets €12-27;
Largo di Torre Argentina)
.
Chiesa del Gesù
CHURCH
(
www.chiesadelgesu.org
;
Piazza del Gesù; rooms admission free; 7am-12.30pm & 4-7.45pm, St Igna-
tius rooms 4-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-noon Sun; Largo di Torre Argentina)
An imposing example of
late-16th-century Counter-Reformation architecture, this is Rome's most important Jesuit
church. The facade by Giacomo della Porta is impressive but it's the awesome gold-and-
marble interior that is the real attraction.
The church's great masterpiece is the
Trionfo del Nome di Gesù
(Triumph of the Name
of Jesus), the swirling, hypnotic vault fresco by Giovanni Battista Gaulli (aka Il Baciccia),
who also painted the cupola frescoes and designed the stucco decoration.
Baroque master Andrea Pozzo designed the
Cappella di Sant'Ignazio
, where you'll find
the opulent tomb of Ignatius Loyola, the Spanish soldier and saint who founded the Jesuits
in 1540. The altar-tomb is an opulent marble-and-bronze affair flanked by two sculptures:
to the left,
Fede che vince l'Idolatria
(Faith Defeats Idolatry); and on the right,
Religione
che flagella l'Eresia
(Religion Lashing Heresy).
The Spanish saint lived in the church from 1544 until his death in 1556. His rooms,
which contain a masterful trompe l'œil by Andrea del Pozzo, are to the right of the church
entrance.
