Church of Sant'Ignazio: Andrea Pozzo's fake dome

Updated on October 5, 2026

The church of Sant'Ignazio di Loyola (St Ignatius), in via del Caravita, is the Jesuit church of the Campo Marzio, 5 minutes from the Pantheon. People come for Andrea Pozzo's trompe-l'œil: a dome that does not exist, painted on a flat canvas 17 m in diameter, and on the nave ceiling the Glory of St Ignatius, one of the largest baroque frescoes in Rome. Entry is free. Allow 30 minutes.

Highlights

The Glory of St Ignatius

Painted between 1685 and 1694 by the Jesuit brother Andrea Pozzo, the nave vault opens the ceiling onto a sky of angels, architecture and allegories of the four continents, where St Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, rises towards Christ. The sky seems to extend the walls of the church, with painted columns continuing the real ones.

The fake dome

For lack of money, the church never received the planned dome. In 1685 Pozzo painted a canvas 17 m in diameter that gives the illusion of one, seen from a yellow marble disc set in the nave floor: from there the perspective is perfect, but two metres further on, the dome warps into an oval.

The yellow marble disc

It marks the exact spot from which to look at the vault fresco and the fake dome. Stand on it, look up, then move: the illusion collapses and the dome turns out to be flat.

Sant'Ignazio square

Designed by Filippo Raguzzini between 1727 and 1735 in front of the church, it looks like a rococo theatre set, with curved façades forming "wings". It is one of the most elegant and quietest squares in the centre.

The church and the city

Built from 1626 to celebrate the canonisation of Ignatius of Loyola in 1622, the church has a sober baroque façade and a richly decorated interior; together with the church of the Gesù, it shows the Jesuit style in Rome.

Practical info

Tips

Entry is free, and the parish states that agencies charging for access are not authorised: do not pay for a "ticket". To look at the vault without craning your neck, sit on a bench in the nave. Visits are limited during services; modest dress is expected. To go further, read our article on the Pantheon-Navona area and on the Pantheon.

How to get there

Via del Caravita 8/A, 00186 Rome, behind via del Corso, 5 minutes on foot from the Pantheon. No metro right nearby (Barberini station, line A, is about 15 minutes on foot): several bus lines serve via del Corso and largo di Torre Argentina, a few minutes on foot.