Wender·Vista
Church of the Gesù
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileItaly
on the Piazza del Gesù, between the Pantheon and the Capitoline Hill in Rome

Church of the Gesù

— — the ceiling that spills out of its frame.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The mother church of the Society of Jesus, finished in 1584 to designs by Vignola and Giacomo della Porta. The plan — wide single nave, shallow transept, dome over the crossing — became the template for Catholic church building across the Counter-Reformation world. Above the nave, Giovanni Battista Gaulli's Triumph of the Name of Jesus, painted between 1672 and 1685, breaks past its gilded frame as if the ceiling had opened to the sky. from the studio

from the studio
Church of the Gesù
— bring it home

Church of the Gesù, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Church of the Gesù

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Church of the Gesù — Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Gesù all'Argentina — stands on the Piazza del Gesù in central Rome, a short walk from the Pantheon and Piazza Venezia. It is the mother church of the Society of Jesus, founded by Ignatius of Loyola in 1540, and serves as the burial place of Saint Ignatius himself. Construction began in 1568 to a plan by Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola; the facade and the completion of the body were carried out by Giacomo della Porta, and the church was consecrated in 1584.

— the stone

The Gesù is often named as the first true Baroque church, and its plan — a wide single nave with side chapels in place of aisles, a shallow transept, and a dome over the crossing — became the template for Catholic church building across the Counter-Reformation world, from South America to the Philippines. Giacomo della Porta's two-storey facade, completed in 1584, set a similar pattern for Baroque church fronts. The Chapel of Saint Ignatius in the left transept, designed by Andrea Pozzo and finished in 1700, holds the saint's tomb beneath a globe of lapis lazuli.

— the light

The ceiling fresco that defines the church, the Triumph of the Name of Jesus, was painted by Giovanni Battista Gaulli, known as Baciccio, between 1672 and 1685. Bernini, a friend and patron of the artist, guided the commission. The painted figures break past their gilded stucco frame and spill onto the surrounding vault, with the saved drawn toward the radiance of the holy monogram and the damned tumbling out into the church below. The illusion is best read from beneath the central crossing, looking straight up into the light.

— where
Italy · Rome, Lazio
— position
41.8959° N · 12.4797° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
1 km NW
Pantheon
Roman temple
1 km E
Piazza Venezia
civic square
1 km SE
Capitoline Hill
historic hill
1 km W
Largo di Torre Argentina
Roman ruins
N
Church of the Gesù
Pantheon
Piazza Venezia
Capitoline Hill
Largo di Torre Argentina
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Church of the Gesù — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

It is the mother church of the Society of Jesus and the burial place of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who founded the order in 1540. It stands on the Piazza del Gesù in central Rome.

Construction began in 1568 to a plan by Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola. Giacomo della Porta designed the facade and completed the church, which was consecrated in 1584.

Its single wide nave, side chapels, shallow transept and crossing dome became the template for Counter-Reformation church design. The plan was copied across Catholic Europe and into the Americas and the Philippines.

Giovanni Battista Gaulli, known as Baciccio, painted the Triumph of the Name of Jesus between 1672 and 1685. The commission was guided by his friend and patron Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

In the Chapel of Saint Ignatius in the left transept of the church. The chapel was designed by Andrea Pozzo and finished in 1700, with the saint's tomb beneath a large globe of lapis lazuli.

The Gesù is open daily for visits, with a midday closure typical of Roman parish churches. There is no charge to enter. Mass is celebrated daily; visitors are asked to keep to the side aisles during services.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The Gesù is the mother church of the order, and the piece carries that association without being literal. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries well.

Yes. It reads as both a Roman city portrait and a quiet devotional image, the ceiling fresco anchoring the visual without depending on a literal sacred scene to do the work.

Library-traditional, grand-tour, and warm-maximalist rooms with darker woods, brass, oxblood leather, and panelled walls. The gold tones also hold well against deep green or burgundy paint.

A single Large sits well above a console or sideboard. For a sofa wall, a 4-tile Mural opens the ceiling fresco out, and a 9-tile Mural anchors a long dining-room or library wall.

Yes. Choose Dura Satin or Matte for any room where steam or grease is present. Both finishes resist scratching and clean easily with a damp microfibre cloth.

A soft microfibre cloth with plain water handles routine dust. Near a cooktop, a drop of mild dish soap in water lifts grease film without affecting the surface or the gilded passages.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted and finished in our Knoxville studio, with no outside licensing. The work is the product of a single studio under one curator's eye.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.
— a collection

The Italian Dolomites,
painted slow.

The valleys between Cortina and Val Gardena, the tarns you walk an hour to see, the towers that turn the colour of a banked fire just before dark. Wander the collection by valley, by season, or follow the path Reid walked.

Tre Cime
Braies
Misurina
Sorapis
Cinque Torri
Sassolungo
Marmolada