The Jesuit Tour of Rome

This experience is a walk through Rome’s “Jesuit district,” allowing us to connect with the fascinating history of the Order. It is also an experience in the art of illusion, as we’ll admire Baroque masterpieces created to capture our gaze and make us see a new reality. Get ready, because vaults will seem to move, paintings will appear to break through buildings, curves will look like corners, and flat surfaces will seem rounded and elevated. This is the illusion of anamorphic painting, a technique created by the great master Andrea Pozzo more than three centuries ago. What makes it even more fascinating is that this art was created with a religious purpose, as part of a new method of evangelization—the Jesuit method.

Art of Illusion : the Anamorphosis

Catholic art has neverer been so captivating

Our visit will explore themes of religion, war, political power, military background, mysteries, and also social justice, ecumenical dialogue, and the significance of spirituality and art as tools for evangelical missions. We will begin by admiring Andrea Pozzo’s most famous work: the vault and the faux dome inside the Church of St. Ignatius. The effect will be powerful, but to truly understand his skill and the meaning of anamorphosis, we’ll continue by discovering the corridor he painted in the rooms of St. Ignatius.These rooms are a 5-minute walk from our meeting point, within the House of the Order. Nearby, we’ll enter the Jesuits’ main church: the Gesù. After a brief visit to the church, we’ll end our tour by watching the surprising Machina Barocca show (here the text of the Machina in english). Above the tomb of Ignatius, surrounded by art and music, we’ll witness the dramatic unveiling of the massive silver statue of the saint, floating straight to Heaven.