With its severe façade, this church is the greatest
example of seventeenth century architecture in Pistoia.
Originally named for Saint Ignatius, it wasn't consecrated to the
Holy Spirit until the second half of the eighteenth century. The
Company of the Jesuits built the church from the plan by Father
Tommaso Ramignani whose activity in Pistoia involved other important
buildings as well (
vs30).
With its one nave and side chapels that are connected with each
other, the Pistoian Jesuit church closely follows the model of the
great Jesuit temple in Rome designed almost a century earlier by
Jacopo Vignola.
In order to build and furnish this important construction - certainly
the most important in Pistoia after the sixteenth century basilica
of the Madonna dell'Umilt (
vs35),
- some of the major noble families of the city gave great sums of
money. Most of the works in Baroque style that still characterize
the church today are the result of patronage by the Rospigliosi
family who, in the same years, had become owners of the palazzo
in nearby via del Duca and whose member Cardinal Giulio Rospigliosi
(
vs47), had been elected
Pope. As soon as Giulio became Pope, he entrusted the commission
for the high altar to Gian Lorenzo Bernini, one of the most famous
exponents of the Roman Baroque style. To crown this achievement
and in complete harmony with it, the Pope gave another commission,
this time to Pietro da Cortona, another illustrious representative
of the Baroque, to do the great canvas depicting The Apparition
of Christ to Saint Ignatius. This was one of the subjects that the
Jesuits held most dear because it honored the founder of their Order.
The Pope's modem taste is clearly seen in Cortona's painting as
well as in the canvas of The Virgin and Christ in Glory with Saints
Liborio, Dominic, Lucy and other Saint (
vs46)
, that Ludovico Gimignani A, painted for the Rospigliosi
family chapel. Among the precious artworks the most notable are:
the Deposed Christ With Saints that Dandini painted for the Banchieri
family chapel
B, the seventeenth century organ
C by
Master W. Hermans (
vi) located in front of another organ
which has a purely decorative function); and, over the doorway,
the marble plaque commemorating the large contribution that the
Rospigliosi family made to the construction of the church. A recent
restoration, made necessary by the building's state of bad repair,
has reopened the church for worship and for the general appreciation
of this fineo example of the city's artistic heritage.
(n.) refers to the number of the file-card (s.i.) means see information
inside
