Church of the Gesù

The Church of the Gesù (Italian: Chiesa del Gesù; Italian pronunciation: [ˈkjɛːza del dʒeˈzu]) is the mother church of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), a Catholic religious order. Officially named Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Gesù all'Argentina (English: Church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus at the "Argentina"), its facade is "the first truly baroque façade", introducing the baroque style into architecture. The church served as model for innumerable Jesuit churches all over the world, especially in the Americas. The Church of the Gesù is located in the Piazza del Gesù in Rome.

First conceived in 1551 by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits Society of Jesus, and active during the Protestant Reformation and the subsequent Catholic Reformation, the Gesù was also the home of the Superior General of the Society of Jesus until the suppression of the order in 1773. The church having been subsequently regained by the Jesuits, the adjacent palazzo is now a residence for Jesuit scholars from around the world studying at the Gregorian University in preparation for ordination to the priesthood.

Church of the Gesù (Philippines)

The Church of the Gesù is the Roman Catholic church of the Ateneo de Manila University campus in Quezon City in the Philippines. The landmark was designed by Jose Pedro Recio and Carmelo Casas. The edifice’s massive triangular structure symbolizes the Holy Trinity, as well as the three-fold mission and vision of the school. Its shape and design are also meant to suggest the outstretched arms of the Sacred Heart, and the traditional Filipino bahay kubo (nipa hut). The site has a total area of 10,200 square metres (110,000 sq ft) and seating capacity for 1,000 persons. The church is situated on Sacred Heart Hill, a small hill overlooking Bellarmine Field, believed to be the highest point in Loyola Heights. In its immediate vicinity are the dormitories (Cervini and Eliazo Halls) and the John Pollock Renewal Center. The peak cross and carillon (see below) of the church can be seen from Katipunan Avenue, which borders the campus to the west.

One side of the church houses a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary as the Immaculate Conception, patroness of Ateneo de Manila and of the Philippines, while another side chapel is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a devotion committed to the Jesuits by Jesus's appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque at a convent in Paray-le-Monial in 1671.

Church of the Gesù (Montreal)

The Church of the Gesù (French: Église du Gesù) is a Roman Catholic Church in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 1202 Bleury Street in the borough of Ville-Marie. It was adjacent to the Collège Sainte-Marie.

History

Ignace Bourget, the second bishop of Montreal, wanted the churches of his diocese to replicate the architecture of Roman churches. This was reflected in the design of Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral after St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City.

Similarly, the Church of the Gesù was based on the Church of the Gesù in Rome. Construction began in 1864, and the church opened on July 10, 1865. The Gesù witnessed the first "electric candle " lit in Canada in 1878.

The Jesuit-run Collège Sainte-Marie was built south of the church. It was demolished in 1975, but the Gesù was preserved and restored in 1983.

Architecture

Experienced Irish-American architect Patrick Keely developed plans that drew heavily on the Church of the Gesù in Rome, a grand Roman Baroque church in which Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, is buried. The Church of the Gesù in Montreal retained the Italian name of Jesus, found in its Roman counterpart.