S. Francesco Saverio
The Church of S. Francesco Saverio was built between 1708 and 1711, the year of his consecration. Designed by Andrea Pozzo, the church conveys the ideological conviction of the Trentino Counterreformation, of which the Jesuits (Pozzo among them) were the paladins.
On the façade there is an interesting combination of the plaster and the stones taken from the quarries in the hills of Trentino. Above there is a crossed tympanum attic, very extravagant large vaults and divided both horizontally and vertically by red limestone pilasters with white limestone Corinthian capitals. In the central section there is an arched window surmounted by a large shell. In the portal’s broken tympanum a large statue of S Francesco Saverio brandishing a crucifix in his right hand can be seen, whilst the four lateral niches hold statues of Saints from Jesus’ company and to be more precise S Ignazio of Loyola, S Francesco Borgia, S. Luigi Gonzaga and S. Francesco Regis.
The interior, designed by Pozzo following stimuli from the Borromeo family, enriched by a series of spatial, statuesque and pictorial tricks to create optical illusions, is rich in sacred images that lead to the high Altar. In the central nave there are four lateral chapels that hold wooden eighteenth century confessional boxes, statues in the niches and angels on the pilasters.
Via Roma 57Ph. 0039.0461.230922Opening timesMonday/Friday: 8am – 12noon / 3pm – 6pmSaturday and Sunday: 3pm – 6pm