Church of Sant’Ignazio

DESCRIPTION:
The church was completed in 1674 and was built by the Jesuits, who owned the nearby college at the time. It is one of the most noteworthy buildings in the historic village of Bormio, most of all due to its beautiful interior decorations. The building is in the Baroque style, with a floor plan that features a single octagonal space and a bell tower with a square base, which ends in an octagonal lantern with an onion dome. While the church has two side altars, it is the main altar that draws attention – above it there are two splendid paintings by Giambattista Muttoni, student of the great Jesuit painter Andrea Pozzo. The paintings depict the Death of St. Ignatius and the Presentation of the Rules of the Society of Jesus to His Holiness the Pope. Muttoni also painted the frescoes in the impressive dome, which were produced using the trompe l’oeil technique and depict the Descent of the Holy Spirit and a few scenes taken from the lives of the Jesuits. The lower part, on the other hand, was painted by Giacomo Lecchi and Eugenio Ricci. Finally, it should be mentioned that the tombs of the fathers and brothers of the Jesuit College are located below the chancel of the church, in an area that is closed to the public but is still fascinating.