Which Baroque church in Rome has a famous trompe-l'œil ceiling painted by Andrea Pozzo?

The Baroque church in Rome with Andrea Pozzo’s famous trompe-l'œil ceiling is Sant'Ignazio Church.

Sant'Ignazio di Loyola was built for the Jesuit Collegio Romano. Although the church was consecrated in 1642, its most celebrated decoration came later, when the Jesuit brother and artist Andrea Pozzo transformed the nave ceiling with illusionistic perspective.

Pozzo’s fresco, commonly called the Apotheosis or Glory of Saint Ignatius, makes a relatively flat ceiling appear to open into a lofty architectural space. Its viewpoint is carefully calculated: from a marked position on the nave floor, painted columns, figures, and architectural lines align to create the strongest illusion. The church’s planned masonry dome was never completed, helping inspire the painted substitute that visitors see today.

A common mix-up is with Rome’s other great Jesuit church, Il Gesù. Giovanni Battista Gaulli decorated that church’s ceiling, while Pozzo’s signature illusion is at Sant’Ignazio. The two buildings are close in date and purpose, but their famous ceiling artists are different.