Frascati

Jesus’s Church

The present church appears at the end of 17th century from the extension of the previous church dedicated to the Holy Virgin Mary, property already belonging to the Jesuit who came to Frascati in 1560, twenty years after their acknowledgment by Pope Paul III.

The church was consecrated in 1773 by Cardinal Henry Benedict Stuart, Duke of York.

The single nave church conserves many baroque frescoes like St. Ignatius, St. Sebastian, La Presentazione al Tempio (The Presentation to the Temple) carried out by the artistic school of Andrea Pozzo.
The façade was inspired by the Chiesa del Gesù (Church of Jesus) in Rome and attributed to Pietro da Cortona. It has two niches one on each side of the entrance containing the statue of Sant’Ignazio da Loyola, and the statue of San Francesco Borgia. It is important to observe the faux dome painted on canvas by Antonio Colli, apprentice of Pozzo.

Towards the end of the 19th century a large part of the church was renovated, the pavements were designed and carried out by Annibale Angelini, the frescoes were assigned to Cesare Dies, the roof was remade and the façade cleaned.