The Jesuits and Il Gesu

When entering the mother Church of the Jesuit order in Rome, one is blown away by its stunning and elaborate decorations and beauty. It is impossible for passers by not to notice the looming façade of Il Gesu. Before researching the Jesuits, I was unsure of who these men were, what they believed, and what their significance in history was. It was surprising to see that the Church does not give an accurate portrayal of the ideals of the order. Il Gesu is a contradiction. This essay will give a history of the Jesuits then some insight into the incongruent art of the mother Church.

To fully understand the Jesuits we must first begin with the man who created the order. In 1491 Íñigo Oñaz López de Loyola was born in Northern Spain to a wealthy family. He joined the Spanish Army at a very young age. Íñigo was made for the army; he was intrigued by the action and glory, and was known to have many rendezvous with the local women. In 1521 while defending Pamplona from the French, he was hit by a cannon ball, shattering his right leg and breaking his left. Over the next few months Íñigo went through many painful operations, all of which were unsuccessful. This sadly left him with a permanent limp. During his long recovery he was deprived of his favorite romance novels and ended up stumbling upon the stories of the lives of the saints. Íñigo’s spiritual transformation began during this time. Inspired by the heroic and chivalric Saints, he gave up everything to spend six years doing charity work. He also practiced and analyzed the divine mystery of God and religion. After a vision from God he wrote “The Spiritual Exercises,” which was a guide to his new way of life. It taught how to use meditation as a way of clearing one’s mind and making better decisions. The book also stressed the importance of modeling oneself after Christ as a messenger of God.

To further his religious transformation Íñigo went to study at The University of Paris. Here he became Ignatius of Loyola, which we know him as today. He studied theology and Latin, and continued his studies of the Catholic Doctrine. While at University he gained six followers, all of whom were trained in his “Spiritual Exercises”. It was said that Ignatius had a “strange ability to impress and enlist anyone however reluctant, whose talents he needed for the cause” (Wright) (An interesting observation, it will be an important quality of his later missions). The seven men then swore an oath to go to Rome to serve the Pope after being ordained as Priests in Venice on the way.



In Rome at this time the Pope was struggling with the Reformation. Almost all of Northwestern Europe had broken away from the Catholic Church. The world was expanding; the time of the explorer was coming to a new high. The Americas had been discovered, trade and travel across the continents were becoming more common. With all of these changes there were many people the Church was failing to communicate with. Not only were they unable to speak with them effectively, they could not connect on an emotional level either. They did not know what moved them or what inspired them. Then Ignatius and his men showed up with “an inspiration of Providence that it is impossible to ignore” (Wright). In 1540 Pope Paul II created the Papal Bull Regimini Militantis Ecclesiae officially establishing the men as the Jesuit Order (Society of Jesus).

The Jesuits were different from other orders of their time. They had to take the normal oath: poverty, chastity and obedience to God. But the requirements had an additional oath, which was obedience to the Pope. The Society focused on the spread of the Roman Catholic Doctrine as the Pope interpreted it. To make this possible they focused on education and missionary work. With these goals they brought thousands of souls to the church.

The Pope was able to send the Jesuits all over the world, with their vow to go anywhere he commanded. Because they were a secular clergy, they didn’t have to live in cloisters or have a certain dress. This provided the ability to go out into the world with some ease, and adapt to the dress, culture, and language of the locals. All of this was a way for them to understand the people on a deeper level. With this knowledge it was easier for them to adapt Catholicism to make it more accessible to locals. In the New World the Jesuits saw their greatest success. Mexico and Brazil took to the faith with enthusiasm, and many remain Catholic today.

Not all of the missions resulted in success though. In Japan they hit a great stride early on, but a jealous emperor put it to an end in 1597 by crucifying 54 people of the faith. Even though there are many more stories of failure, the Jesuits remained persistent in their goals. They were willing to go out and be martyrs for their religion, which showed great devotion. This attitude and their successes inspired a new frame of mind in The Church Triumphant, which would bring optimism and self-confidence to Catholics everywhere.

Education was the driving force behind the Jesuits and their mission work. They were the “School Masters of Europe” opening colleges all around the continent, in their mission to educate the world. At their peak in the late 18th century there were 120 colleges in Italy alone. Jesuits were the first to establish the four-year liberal arts education system, which are still used today. Tuition fees and large donations from the wealthy families of the students were the main source of revenue for the Society.

In 1568 the foundational stones of the first Jesuit church were laid. The name Il Gesu was chosen as a dedication to Jesus, which was obviously an important theme for the Jesuits. Cardinal Alessandro Farnese (the nephew of the Pope) financed the project. This gave Farnese the ability to have the final say when it came to the design of the church. Giacomo Della Porta won the design for the façade. It is considered the first baroque façade and it was the prototype for Jesuit churches around the world. There are two sections: the upper and the lower register, with a large entablature separating them. Both registers have double pilasters to divide the space. One can see two pediments, first at the top of the building and the other placed over the door. The width of the façade is equal to the height, but the upper register is slightly narrower. Della Porta added volutes to create movement from the lower to upper register. Above the door is the Jesuit emblem, the IHS, which is the Greek abbreviation for Jesus. At the top of the façade, the Farnese family crest looks down on the street, emphasizing the family who was gracious enough to help. Farnese’s own architect Jacopo Vignola was responsible for the rest of the church, but dropped out half way through. Della Porta stepped in and finished the project.



The layout of the inside of Il Gesu was revolutionary. Jesuits focused on preaching and wanted a simple design to emphasize it. As a result the nave became shorter and wider, with only one aisle. The high ceiling made for better acoustics, allowing the voices of the preachers to travel further and louder. Additional side pulpits permitted multiple sermons to take place at one time. This layout proved so successful in communicating with the mass amounts of people showing up for sermons that it became the norm for all future churches.

Decorations inside Il Gesu did not start until over a century after it was completed. The Jesuits planned for the inside to be simple and somber, reflecting the themes of the façade, and maintain focus on the preaching. But wealthy donors had other visions for the décor. When people sent their children to a Jesuit college it was a prestigious action. They wanted others to be impressed. But when they would then visit the Jesuit mother church, there was nothing impressive about it (at least not in the eyes of the wealthy). So the donors paid for all of the decorations inside the church, neglecting the considerations of the early Jesuits. This is apparent when you first enter Il Gesu, now famous for its ornate chapels and frescoed ceilings.

On the inside of the Nave ceiling is the Triumph in the Name of Jesus. Painted in the 17th century by Giovanni Battista Gaulli, known as Baciccio, who was recommended for the job by Bernini. The Triumph took him four years to complete and it remains one of the highlights of the church. The painting gives the feeling that the roof gave out and everything is being pulled up toward the heavens. In the center barely visible is the Jesuit emblem with a halo around it, as if it is shining down from heaven. One can see the holy ascending into heaven and the sinful falling away from it towards Hell. Baciccio was very skilled with his methods to give us this three-dimensional feeling. The stuccowork is so thick it actually sticks out up to 5 inches in some parts. He also used a dark glaze on the gilding to give more illusions of shadows. To say the least, the ceiling is certainly impressive and eye catching.



When one moves further into Il Gesu and reaches the Transept, the Chapel of St. Ignatius is on the left. Like the ceiling, it was completed in the late 17th century by a Jesuit Lay brother named Andrea Pozzo. Everyday at 5:30 the church fills with people and an elaborate light show begins. Music plays and at the height of all the excitement the painting of the altar piece drops and reveals a silver statue of St. Ignatius rising to heaven. Today the statue is a cast plated with silver. Pope Pius VI melted down the original in order to pay war ransoms set by Napoleon. On both sides of the altar are sculptures showing some triumphs Ignatius helped accomplish. To the right “Religion striking down Heresy” shows a woman holding a cross and heretics shunning away from it in pain, with a small Putti ripping apart a heretical book. On the left “Faith over Idolatry” shows a woman with a cross standing over a dragon with a barbarian king begging at her feet. One also sees the depiction of a heretic a woman with mangled hair trying to pull the king back. The chapel is incredibly ornate, which is contradictory and ironic when thinking of what Ignatius had in mind for the décor of the church.



On the opposite side of the Chapel of Ignatius is the Chapel of St. Francis Xavier, designed by Puerto ad Corona. Francis Xavier was one of the original founders of the order, and the second Jesuit saint. In a silver box making up the altarpiece, there is his skeletal arm, which was glorified because of his preaching abilities. There is a painting above glorying his death and martyrdom in Asia. He is surrounded by very inaccurate depictions of the Chinese natives. Above that is a relief in the stucco above the painting of him being carried into Heaven.


Following the Themes of Martyrdom we see through out the Il Gesu the High Altar is dedicated to the circumcision of Christ, done by Girolamo Muziano. This was a very important event for the Jesuits. It was the first time Christ shed blood, which foreshadowed his eventual crucifixion, and when he was given his name. The painting in place is currently a 19th century replacement of the original.

Il Gesu stands today as a complete misinterpretation of the Jesuit order; a giant contradiction for everything they stood for. They attempt to justify this as the changing of the times, or adapting to what the people wanted. I see it as a tragedy, for as intelligent as the Jesuits were, they were manipulated. There was no way of stopping the donors from gilding the ceilings and completely marbleizing the high altar. Now when people enter the Mother Church of the Jesuits, they are given an inaccurate interpretation of who they were and what they did for the Catholic faith.



Bibliography

The First Jesuits / John W. O'Malley. Cambridge Mass: Harvard University Press 1993

The Jesuits: The Society of Jesus and the Betrayal of the Roman Catholic Church / Malachi Martin. New York: Simon and Schuster 1988

Ignatius of Loyola: Founder of the Jesuits / John Patrick Donnelly. New York: Pearson/Longman 2004

Gods Soldier's: Adventure, Politics, Intrigue, and Power: History of the Jesuits / Jonathan Wright. New York: Doublepay 2004

The Jesuits : missions, myths and histories / Jonathan Wright. London: HarperCollins, 2004

Rome/ Mauro, Paola, Eric & Jack Lucentini. 2006

The Jesuits and The Arts 1540-1773/ edited by John W. O'Malley and Gauvin Alexander Bailey ; original Italian edited by Giovanni Sale. Philadelphia : Saint Joseph's University Press, 2005

Photos

http://www.siprep.org/faculty/mahlbach/images/stIgnatius_000.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/graeme/308609019/sizes/l/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/benjamin_galle/3093134512/sizes/o/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/edboyz/1417321783/

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8s4s-3dNBG0kFvfLZBAJiu-A8YGgBNgqR_QmPL8HmvTuuec08ziVILq4J3RPz4W_ChVw6fB4T5hKf_UNzxfng5L7WNNORlT-Y2ybwa-LqXodzGYC8LgI2nmFpl4QWiz_oTO-xhqTAGQ/s400/StFrancisXavierArm.JPG

Monti: take one

For my Rione project, I have the fortune of having the oldest neighborhood in Rome, Monti. Before starting most of my research, I took a day to explore. I took with me no map, no books, and had no real destination. My goal was to wander. The streets in Monti were narrow, and real much different then the tourist traps I see on a normal basis around the Campo. Twists, turns, and steep streets. Cool vintage shops, and funky new art shops. Old Fashion Cafes, and modern hip restaurants. Sometimes after turning a corner the Colosseum would appear in looming at the end of the street. As I continued to walk around I fell in love with all these things, and my excitement grew to learn more about it.

After starting some research I found out so many cool things about the history of the rione. But the most facinating aspect of Monti, in my opinion, is the evolution of the people in the neighborhood. In ancient Rome it was where the most poor population lived, full of thieves and prostitutes. During the Medieval times when the Papacy left Rome, and the aqueducts where left in ruin, people needed moved closer to the river for water. Slowly but surely people made their way back into the abandoned part of the city when the Papacy returned. Today Monti thrives as a trendy neighborhood, full of young people and hipsters. The Monticiani have a proud sense of identity, built on hundreds of years of change and growth. I am intrigued by the people, and want to learn more. Even from my explorations I have noticed the sense of individuality these people feel. They seem more comfortable, confident, and friendly.

I can't wait to really start working with my partner and taking off on this project. Monti was a really great choice, and our presentation is going to be great!

Processions

Some notes on my chosen Festivals thus far.

FESTA DE’ NOANTRI

District: Trastevere (across the Tiber)
What is NOANTRI?
The combination of the words “we” and “others” in the dialect of the people from Trastevere, noi+antri = Festival of We-Others (ourselves)
8 day long festival
Markets, dances, songs, fairs
Procession
At Beginning (every 3rd Sun in July) and End of Festival
Madonna taken through the neighborhood
Madonna Del Carmine (Joyful Virgin of the Carmelitans)
1535 fishermen pulled her out of the Tiber
Originally in San Crisogono, then moved to Santa Agata
Procession Route: From New home to Old Home
Only about 50 meters apart, but take a winding route
Pauses at each church for a blessing
2nd procession
Taken down the Tiber in a boat
hinting towards its origins
Carried by 16 men on wooden Platform
THINGS TO DO:
Visit the Churches, and icon
Find out more details about why the icon is important
Find out more about the Festivities during the week
What does it do for the people of Trastevere??
Interview some people??

FESTA DI SAN GIOVANNI

District: Monti
June 23rd: The Night of St. John
Opens Up Summer, Party of Happiness and Brotherhood
First fires of the year
Considered purifiers
Herb of St. John under your pillow:
ipet, garlic, Artemisia, verbena and rue
Witches of the New Summer, Fly around Rome to escape the “big walnut Benevento” for the great sand??
To protect your Self
St. Johns Wort Oil: walnuts
A broom and bowl of Salt outside your door
Forcing them to count the twigs on the broom, and
grains of Salt
Ate snails
Avoid quarrels and betrayals
Emphasizes the expressiveness of women
Witches are a positive “power”linked to knowledge and ancient
natural remedies
Also seen as a rebel, exclusive, naughty

THINGS TO DO:
More Information
Why witches? Why are they flying around?
What is the religious meaning?
What special events does the community have?
Why?

Writing Assignment #5

After Writing Assignment #4 I am sure everyone could tell that I wasn't too excited to be going back to Rome. But being back really has made me appreciate everything I left. Coming home to my bed, and the familiarity of my surrounding really made me appreciate Rome more. I feel like "home" isn't just where you live, but a place where you feel comfortable. Even though on my way home I couldn't feel the pull that Rome has over me, I felt it as soon as I got off the train. Being able to navigate from the train station home, grocery shop, and just sit in my living room, made me feel good.

This really got me thinking about the true idea of home. There are so many people we see on the streets everyday, what do they consider home? It is interesting that we can recognize the homeless people, they seem to always be in the same areas. Why? I think it is because they have their own sense of home... even though they might not have the actual physical location. But sitting on the same bench, watching the same people go by, and sleeping in the same shop door.

What would happen if they were given a home? Would they find different ways to appreciate it then I do? I didn't want to come back to my 5th floor apartment, with a balcony looking out on to one of the cities most beautiful piazza. Whats wrong with me? I wonder what things I really do take for granted on a daily basis? If these people who have nothing could find happiness and home in the little they have, why couldn't I be happy coming back? I have been thinking a lot about how spoiled I am to have these things, and how I can appreciate them more. It was nice having everyone gone this weekend. It really gave me a chance to think about things, and really get to know somethings about my self. This taught me a lot and I am thrilled to be back in Rome, and extremely lucky I had somewhere so great to come back to.

FLICKR!!

Alright... So uploading pictures on Blogger is the worst thing ever!!! So I have set up a flickr page for everyone!! I have all of my pictures from Florence up now. Check them out because in the next few days I will be swapping them out for new ones (there is a limit to how many I can have.. but its somewhere around 200 so you should get your fill :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/17453538@N02/

Writing Assignment #4

Here I am sitting on the train. There are people everywhere. Talking on their phones, listening to music so loud I'm sure that everyone in the cabin can here. There might have been beautiful things outside, hills, valleys, but I wouldn't know. Looking out the window everything is gray and foggy... it reminds me of a scene from The Mist. Graffiti covers the seats, windows, walls, everything. It doesn't smell bad, but there is definitely a smell going on. This is the slow train. Disappointment sweeps through my body. I will be on this train for another hour. It hasn't even been five minutes and I'm miserable. Oh well, soon I will be in Rome. Campo number 46 has been my home for about a month now. I know where to go to buy milk, the best place for a coffee, places to get amazing gelato, sandwiches, pasta, everything. It was my home… I could navigate, and manage there. Why don't I feel excited to go back?

As some very suspicious looking boys ran through my cabin, I think about what this means. Its not that I don't think as Rome as my home, because a large part of me does. The thing I was struggling with was having to leave Orvieto to get there. There has never been a place in the world as amazing as Orvieto. Where it smells like vanilla and camp fire. Where all the people smile when they see you. Where local artists thrive, with shops on every corner. No graffiti, no crowded streets, no obnoxious alarms that go off at the brink of dawn. I loved Orvieto. Getting on this train was probably one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I could have stayed there forever. Like the place in movies where you move to fix up some old house in the country, and just by luck the man next door is a beautiful, charming, and secretly some sort of royalty. Ha that's a bit unrealistic, but Its sort of the feel this old town gives me. The Medieval streets make it feel almost like something that popped out of a children’s book. Orvieto is the kind of place where I could just crawl into... and never leave.

But Alas life calls, and here I sit on this crap hole of a train. With filthy windows, and the seat in front of me shouting profanities. Watching my bag slide half way across the floor, I picture my self, getting off the train. Trying to throw my bag out the door, because its physically impossible to get down the two steps and a huge gap off the train holding so much luggage. Now having to walk across the station to the bus stop. Where of course either of the buses I need to take the 64 or the 40 are known for their pick pocketing. And there I will be, a perfect target. With my oversized purse, backpack, and rolly suitcase they know I have some goods. Being about 5'4" its completely obvious I am unable to handle all of the baggage I bring. Thinking about this situation makes me shutter. Trying to push it out of my head I picture where I could still be. In my hotel room, taking a nice hot bath in my amazing tub. Going down the street to get a coffee where the man at the counter puts in a little something extra when he decorates my plain espresso with chocolate art. Walking along the city walls and looking down on all of the rolling hills of Umbria. I almost burst it to tears I missed it so much already.

So interestingly enough, when I was assigned this writing prompt I thought I knew what I was going to say. I can’t wait to be back in Rome, this place that has become my home. Florence is beautiful but my room is freezing, I hate waking up and not being able to feel my nose. But that’s not how I feel at all. What I would give to be able to crawl away from reality, and stay back in Orvieto. Leave everything behind and just live. I am not excited or happy to be going back to the real world. I know I have to, and I will push through it. Orvieto will always be somewhere.. In my dreams