Giornale: Church of Gesu

“Wait, I think we passed it,” I looked back down at my Google Maps app and then at the street name. “Yeah, it was that large building that we thought was the French church we saw the other day, but that was near the Pantheon.”

            Emily and I dashed back the way we came and looked at the large, flat and intricate marble front of the church that, although grand, did in fact look very similar to the Church of St. Louis of French that we saw just a few days before. I realized that in Rome, even grandiosity can become repetitive, although no less beautiful. It had started drizzling, so we were glad to get inside of the building. Like many famous cathedrals, this one instantly took my breath away. The overflowing of gold across the ceilings and walls was astounding. The vast intricate paintings on the ceilings were absolutely gorgeous. The white marble statues hanging above were magnificent. The ornateness and intricate designs revealed the care and money that was put into this church. A priest dressed all in black spoke into a microphone in front of the altar. Around 60 individuals listened to his echoing Italian sermon and sat on wooden benches on the front half of the church. Whenever he paused, a wave of silence would fill the large space. A man stood at the center of the church, manning the red velvet rope that separated the church-goers from the rest. Not wanting to intrude, we quietly walked to wooden benches in the back of the church and sat with the other tourists who just wanted to look at the beauty of the church.

            On the bench I scanned the room, trying to capture all of the art. I looked up at the ceiling first. It was darker on the ceiling so the statues and paintings were harder to make out, but I could see many cherubs, young women, and a young man playing a violin-like instrument. Above the altar, there was a statue of a woman surrounded by gold with flowing cloth covering her, carrying what appears to be a hand-mirror. She glared down at me and I wondered who she was and why she was so central to the church. The ceiling was fully painted. Directly above me, there was a painting of figures looking at the heavens opening up. The altar was flanked by columns of orange marble. In the center, there was a portrait of Jesus, surrounded by followers, with a cross behind him. Above the altar was a large gold sun with long rays of gold stretching out. In the center of the sun were the letters IHS. I did not know what it stood for, but it appeared many times around the church so I knew it must be a holy symbol.

            “Let’s look over there,” I gestured to the chapel that was to the right of the entrance. We silently made our way to the apse and looked at the three large paintings. The chapel drew me to it not only because it was farther away from the other people, but also because of the gruesome yet intoxicating painting in the center of a bloodied man, presumably Jesus, covered in ropes and being carried and surrounded by a few men and women with his thorned crown on the ground. To my left another painting showed the scene leading up to it, Jesus, carrying his cross, surrounded by people, both foes and followers. To my right, a painting of Jesus on the cross which lay on the ground. It was unclear whether he was being put on the cross or being taken off of it. Above my head, there was a mural of winged angels clutching to a cross in heaven. I then noticed a doorway under the left painting which looked through all the dark chapels adjacent to the one I was in. At the end, there was a portrait of Jesus, lit up and surrounded by gold. After looking around once more, we decided to head out. As we were leaving, we noticed a small black and brown dog, tied by his leash to the bannister next to the sign of rules. We quietly squealed about his cuteness before exiting the church. We had visited many churches since our arrival at Rome but being able to see one while a sermon was going on really accentuated the holiness of the space. It also made me realize how much beauty is tied to religiosity, using intricate and gorgeous artwork to justify the holiness, power, and importance of the church.

(Church of Gesu, 5/23/19)