622 Chapter 22 ITALY,1500 TO 1600sizes the approach to the altar. The wide acceptance of the Gesù plan
in the Catholic world, even until modern times, speaks to its ritual ef-
ficacy. The opening of the church building into a single great hall
provides an almost theatrical setting for large promenades and pro-
cessions (which seemed to combine social with priestly functions).
Above all, the space is adequate to accommodate the great crowds
that gathered to hear the eloquent preaching of the Jesuits.
The facade of Il Gesù was also not entirely original, but it too
had an enormous impact on later church design. The union of the
lower and upper stories, effected by scroll buttresses, harks back to
Alberti’s Santa Maria Novella (FIG. 21-39). Its classical pediment is
familiar in Alberti’s work (FIG. 21-44) as well as in that of Palladio
(FIGS. 22-29and 22-31). The paired pilasters appear in Michelan-
gelo’s design for Saint Peter’s (FIG. 22-26). Giacomo della Porta skill-
fully synthesized these existing motifs and unified the two stories.
The horizontal march of the pilasters and columns builds to a dra-
matic climax at the central bay, and the bays of the facade snugly fit
the nave-chapel system behind them. Many Roman church facades
of the 17th century are architectural variations on Giacomo della
Porta’s design. Chronologically and stylistically, Il Gesù belongs to
the Late Renaissance, but its enormous influence on later churches
marks it as a significant monument for the development of Italian
Baroque church architecture, discussed in Chapter 24.22-55Giacomo della Porta,facade of Il Gesù, Rome, Italy,
ca. 1575–1584.
In Giacomo della Porta’s innovative design, the march of pilasters and
columns builds to a dramatic climax at the central bay. Many 17th-century
Roman church facades are architectural variations of Il Gesù.22-56Giacomo da Vignola,plan of Il Gesù, Rome, Italy, 1568.
(1) dome, (2) nave, (3) chapel.
Giacomo da Vignola’s plan for Il Gesù, with its exceptionally wide
nave with side chapels instead of aisles, won wide acceptance in
the Catholic world. It is an ideal space for grand processions.123333330 25 50 feet N
0 10 20 metersIL GESÙProbably the most influential building of the second
half of the 16th century was the mother church of the Jesuit order.
The activity of the Society of Jesus, known as the Jesuits, was an im-
portant component of the Counter-Reformation. Ignatius of Loyola
(1491–1556), a Spanish nobleman who dedicated his life to the ser-
vice of God, founded the Jesuit order. He attracted a group of fol-
lowers, and in 1540 Pope Paul III formally recognized this group as a
religious order. The Jesuits were the papacy’s invaluable allies in its
quest to reassert the supremacy of the Catholic Church. Particularly
successful in the field of education, the order established numerous
schools. In addition, its members were effective missionaries and
carried the message of Catholicism to the Americas, Asia, and Africa.
As a major participant in the Counter-Reformation, the Jesuit
order needed a church appropriate to its new prominence. Because
Michelangelo was late in providing the plans for this church, called Il
Gesù, or Church of Jesus, in 1568 the Jesuits turned to Giacomo della
Porta, who was responsible for the facade (FIG. 22-55)—and later
designed the dome of Saint Peter’s (FIG. 24-3)—and Giacomo da
Vignola(1507–1573), who designed the ground plan (FIG. 22-56).
The plan of Il Gesù reveals a monumental expansion of Alberti’s
scheme for Sant’Andrea (FIGS. 21-45and 21-46) in Mantua. In the
new Jesuit church, the nave takes over the main volume of space,
making the structure a great hall with side chapels. A dome empha-