This is one of my favorite Churches of Rome too, along with the Church of San Ignazio and the magnificent paintings of the famous Jesuit laybrother artist, architect and liturgical designer, Andrea Pozzo. He was an artistic genius. His brother was also a painter, but he was a Discalced Carmelite monk, and he is not at all as well known as an artist unlike his Jesuit brother. The Church of the Gesu, and that of San Ignazio, as well as St. Peter's of course and probably three dozen other Churches in Rome represent the magnificent flowering of the Italian Baroque- which encompasses not only painting and architecture, but also sculpture, music, and literature. I personnally think that the Italian Baroque period, together with the magnificence of the Baroque vestments and liturgy of that period, represents the very zenith and highest point of Catholic culture to which we shold see to emulate and immitate today. If the new Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization does not foster a return to this Catholic greatness and to copy/immitate it, it will fail miserably.
Everybody has their favorite and this is the favorite church of yours truly in Rome.
This is one of my favorite Churches of Rome too, along with the Church of San Ignazio and the magnificent paintings of the famous Jesuit laybrother artist, architect and liturgical designer, Andrea Pozzo. He was an artistic genius. His brother was also a painter, but he was a Discalced Carmelite monk, and he is not at all as well known as an artist unlike his Jesuit brother.
ReplyDeleteThe Church of the Gesu, and that of San Ignazio, as well as St. Peter's of course and probably three dozen other Churches in Rome represent the magnificent flowering of the Italian Baroque- which encompasses not only painting and architecture, but also sculpture, music, and literature.
I personnally think that the Italian Baroque period, together with the magnificence of the Baroque vestments and liturgy of that period, represents the very zenith and highest point of Catholic culture to which we shold see to emulate and immitate today.
If the new Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization does not foster a return to this Catholic greatness and to copy/immitate it, it will fail miserably.
to only copy/imitate something is for movements that are dead or have no common soul.
ReplyDeleteeven the Russian Orthodox Church did not just copy-paste Greek Byzantine tradition.
even the great architects of the Renaissance did not build reconstructions of ancient buildings (they actually demolished great many of them)
it is obvious that we should go back to our tradition and our standards, but in details every age should have it's own style.
mmmm my favorite too. I thought the Church of Gesu and St. Ignacio are one and the same ????
ReplyDeleteIf not which has the 'painted' dome.
San Ignazio has the fake "dome", and the magnificent paintings of Andrea Pozzo.
ReplyDelete