entry July 2009
The
Palazzo of the Congregazioni and the Casa Professa
of the Padri Gesuiti
The church of
Gesù Nuovo in the square of
that name once formed a very large single complex
with the two buildings on either side: one, the former
building of the Congregations on the west (photo,
right—the "Congregations" is the building on the far
right) and, two, the House of Prayer of the Jesuit Fathers, on the east (not
seen here, it is next to where the photographer is
standing). The "Congregations" now houses the Genovesi
High School and the House of Prayers houses another
school, the "Pimentel Fonseca"
Institute. They are both rather inconspicuous because of
all the competition. The giant plague
column in the middle of the square, the church of Gesù Nuovo, itself,
and the church of Santa Chiara all attract our first
attention.
The "Congregations" and the House of
Prayer were built at the same time as the adjacent
church of Gesù Nuovo was being rebuilt into its current
configuration (it had earlier been a noble residence),
that is, between 1592 and 1609. The "Congregations"
originally housed worship "oratories" for six different
groups: the Nobility; Children of Nobles; Women;
Merchants; the Borghesi
(Middle Class); and Craftsmen. The current high school
premises have preserved many of the works of art
originally found in the "Congregations," including
frescoes by Battistello
Caracciolo, Giovanni
Lanfranco and Belisario
Corenzio. The facade was redone in the 19th
century in a neo-Romantic style. (The building is #1 on
this map.)
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