Compass Vol. 13 #4, Larisey Sidebar

Dossier, Volume 13 #4

St. Ignatius Altar at the Gesù in Rome

In this image of the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son are seated on the same level in the radiance of the Holy Spirit. They are active, gesturing in animated conversation. This image was sculpted by Jesuit Brother Andrea Pozzo (1642-1700) who was the most famous of all Jesuit artists. Created between 1690 and 1700, this image of the Trinity is the crowning element of the Saint Ignatius Altar at the Gesù in Rome.

Photo by Peter Larisey

This iconography of the active Trinity was, I believe, attractive to Jesuits for two reasons. First, it illustrates the test of St. Ignatius' "Contemplation on the Incarnation" from his Spiritual Exercises. In this famous passage, the praying person imagines the Trinity together making the decision to save the world by sending the Son. Second, Jesuits saw themselves as companions of this active Jesus at work in the world.

-- Peter Larisey