Gesù e Maria is a

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

church located on

Via del Corso The Via del Corso is a main street in the historical centre of Rome. It is straight in an area otherwise characterized by narrow meandering alleys and small piazzas. Considered a wide street in ancient times, the Corso is approximately 10 metres w ...

in the Rione Campo Marzio of central

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Italy. It faces across the street the similarly Baroque facade of

San Giacomo in Augusta San Giacomo in Augusta (also known as San Giacomo degli Incurabili) is a Baroque architecture, Baroque church in Rome, Italy. It was the church of the Hospital of San Giacomo degli Incurabili. Location and name Located on Via del Corso, roughly ...

. It is more correctly called Chiesa dei Santi Nomi di Gesù e Maria ("Church of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary"). The church was made a cardinalate deaconry by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

in 1967 with the name of Santissimi Nomi di Gesù e Maria in Via Lata ("Most Holy Names of Jesus and Mary on Via Lata"). "Via Lata" is the old name of Via del Corso. The church now serves as an apostolate of the

Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP; la, Institutum Christi Regis Summi Sacerdotis []; french: Institut du Christ Roi Souverain Prêtre []) is a Roman Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right in communion with ...

History

Initially a church titled Sant'Antonio Abate in Augusta was located on the site, which was previously owned by the Colona family. Construction of the church began in 1633 for a Discalced Augustinian order, with designs by Carlo Buzio (also called Carlo Milanese). The structure was completed by 1635 and consecrated the next year to Jesus and Mary. Later the architect

Carlo Rainaldi Carlo Rainaldi (4 May 1611 – 8 February 1691) was an Italian architect of the Baroque period. Biography Born in Rome, Rainaldi was one of the leading architects of 17th century Rome, known for a certain grandeur in his designs. He worked at f ...

was commissioned to design the simple travertine facade (1671–1674) and ornamented Baroque interiors, including the main altar. From 1678 to 1690, the expensive and ornate marble interior decoration was installed under the patronage of

Giorgio Bolognetti Giorgio Bolognetti or Gregorio Bolognetti (22 December 1595 – 17 January 1680) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Rieti (1639–1660), Apostolic Nuncio to France (1634–1639), Apostolic Nuncio to Florence (1631–1634), Bishop ...

, bishop of

Rieti Rieti (; lat, Reate, Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of 47,700. It is the administrative seat of the province of Rieti and see of the diocese of Rieti, as well as the modern capital of the Sabina re ...

. From the 18th through 19th centuries, the church belonged to the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

order. The church was reconsecrated the next year as recalled by an inscription in the sacristy. The

Tridentine Mass The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass or Traditional Rite, is the liturgy of Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church that appears in typical editions of the Roman Missal published from 1570 to 1962. Celebrated almo ...

has been celebrated in the church every Sunday since the early 1980s and has been in the care of the ICKSP since 1992, making it one of the oldest consistent Latin Masses in the city of Rome.

Interior

The vault and the main altarpiece, depicting a ''Coronation of the Virgin'' (1679), was painted by

Giacinto Brandi Giacinto Brandi (1621 – 19 January 1691) was an Italian painter from the Baroque era, active mainly in Rome and Naples. left, 250px, ''Christ in Gesthemane'', Pinacoteca Vaticana left, 250px, Dome of the church of San Carlo al Corso ...

. Stucco work was arranged by Gramignoli and Monsu Michele. The church entrance to the sacristy has frescoes by

Giovanni Lanfranco Giovanni Lanfranco (26 January 1582 – 30 November 1647) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. Biography Giovanni Gaspare Lanfranco was born in Parma, the third son of Stefano and Cornelia Lanfranchi, and was placed as a page in the ho ...

. Other paintings in the sacristy are by Padre Matteo di San Alessio from Palermo. The main altarpiece, ''Charity of St Thomas of Villanova'' was painted by Felice Ottini. On the left side of the church are chapels dedicated to ''St Thomas of Villanova'' (with painting by Felice Ottini), ''St Joseph'', and to the ''Madonna of Divine Help''. It contains funerary monuments for Ercole and Luigi Bolognetti, brothers of bishop Giorgio Bolognetti, whose monument is present further down along the nave. On the right side of the church are chapels dedicated to the ''Crucifixion'' (with statuary by Francesco Aprile), ''St Nicholas of Tolentino'' (canvas painted by Basilio Francese or Giovanni Carbone), and ''St Anne''. This side contains funerary monuments dedicated to Pietro and Francesco Bolognetti (by Pietro Cavallini, 1681), and to Mario Bolognetti (by Francesco Aprile). By the entrance, the first funeral monuments on the right were for members of the Corno family, including a ''Monument to Giulio del Corno'' made by

Ercole Ferrata Ercole Ferrata ( 1610 – 10 July 1686) was an Italian sculptor of the Roman Baroque. Biography A native of Pellio Inferiore, near Como, Ferrata initially apprenticed with Alessandro Algardi, and became one of his prime assistants. When h ...

and

Domenico Guidi Domenico Guidi (1625 – 28 March 1701) was a prominent Italian Baroque sculptor. Born in Carrara, Guidi followed his uncle, Giuliano Finelli, a prominent sculptor noted for his feud with Bernini, to Naples. When he fled Naples in 1647 dur ...

, pupils of

Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, , ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 159828 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor of his ...

.''Rome: A tour of many days : in three volumes, Volume 1.'' By George Head, Page 104, London, 184

/ref> The first chapel on the right has the bust of Sig. Bolognetti by Francesco Aprile. The second chapel has a painting of ''San Nicola'' by Basilio Francese and sculptures by Cavallini. The third chapel has a ''Sant'Antonio Abate'' painted by

Girolamo Pesci Gerolamo Pesci (1679–1759) was an Italian painter, active in a Baroque style. He was born in Rome. He painted an altarpiece depicting ''Saints Dominic, Francis of Paola and Leonardo worshipping the Holy Trinity'' for the Cathedral of St Peter ...

. The main chapel has a painting by

. The statues in niches of ''St John the Baptist'' and ''St John Evangelist'' are by Giuseppe Mazzuoli, while the angel statues are by Paolo Naldini and

Francesco Cavallini Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis", is the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include: People with the given name Francesco * Francesco I (disambiguation), sever ...

. Other works in the church are by

Lorenzo Ottoni Lorenzo Ottoni, also known as Lorenzo Ottone or Lorenzone, (1658–1736) was an Italian sculptor who was commissioned by the papacy and various noble houses of Renaissance Italy. Life Ottoni was born in Rome in 1658 and spent the majority of h ...

, Monsu

Michele Maglia Michele (), is an Italian male given name, akin to the English male name Michael (given name), Michael. Michele (pronounced ), is also an English female given name that is derived from the French Michèle. It is a variant spelling of the more c ...

(also called Michel Maille) and Giovanni Antonio Lelli. Ceiling of Gesù e Maria (Rome)

List of Cardinal Protectors

Justinus Darmojuwono Justinus Cardinal Darmojuwono (2 November 1914 – 3 February 1994) was an Indonesian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Semarang from 1963 to 1981 and was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 1967, becoming the ...

(1967–1994) *

Avery Dulles Avery Robert Dulles (; 1918–2008) was an American Jesuit priest, theologian, and cardinal of the Catholic Church. Dulles served on the faculty of Woodstock College from 1960 to 1974, of the Catholic University of America from 1974 to 1988, a ...

, S.J. (2001–2008) *

Domenico Bartolucci Domenico Bartolucci (7 May 1917 – 11 November 2013) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was the former director of the Sistine Chapel Choir and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and was recognized in the field of music b ...

(2010-2013) * Luigi De Magistris (2015–2022)

Sources

*Derived from Italian Wikipedia entry * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gesu E Maria Nomi di Gesu e Maria in Via Lata Baroque architecture in Rome 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Gesu Maria Churches used by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest