History of the Church of Saint Ignatius
The Roman College
The history of the church of Saint Ignatius in Rome is linked to the origins of the Collegio Romano founded by Ignatius of Loyola in 1551.
The seminary had several locations over the years. In 1560 it was set up in a building which was the property of the Marchesa della Tolfa in the Campo Marzio district in Rome. In 1584 the premises of the new college were inaugurated next to the church of the Annunciation.
The new church
When the number of students increased, Pope Gregory XV entrusted the project of building a church dedicated to Saint Ignatius of Loyola to Orazio Grassi. The new church was consecrated in 1722.
Andrea Pozzo, the Jesuit artist, completed the internal artworks: the Fake Dome, the Vault and the Presbytery in 1685.
Destination of pilgrims and tourists
The church of Saint Ignatius in Campo Marzio is visited daily by pilgrims and tourists from all over the world:
- for its baroque artistic works
- for cultural events
- for scheduled spiritual meetings
- for visiting the tombs of the Jesuit saints buried here: Aloysius Gonzaga, Robert Bellarmino, John Berchmans.