Nave vault: Allegory of the Jesuits' Missionary Work

This spectacular composition is almost an inventory of Baroque architectural ceilings and their final triumph. According to Jesuit ideas, the space within a church was a single area in which the faithful congregated. In Sant’Ignazio space is stretched (Pozzo was clever at the illusion of “doubling” the perspective of the real architecture) before exploding into light and glory. Saints, angels, allegories, and floating clouds accentuate the virtuoso effect. The impression is one of exuberance and freedom. In reality, it was worked out using scientific criteria.

Designed to be viewed from a point in the centre of the nave, which is marked by a white stone, Padre Pozzo’s ceiling produces the illusion of a palace opening on the sky.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 6 minutes):

Giuseppe Torelli: Sonata a cinque in D Major No. 7