Rome, part six - Chiesa di Gesu

After the Pantheon, we stop in front of this church, the Chiesa di Gesu, or Il Gesu for short. Don't be deceived by the plain-looking facade, like we were. Contrary to the outside, the inside was one of the most beautiful elaborate baroque buildings I've ever seen.
... simple enough front, compared to all that I've seen already, right?
Here's the interior nave.
... and this is the ceiling. Probably the best example of high baroque architecture I know of, pictures don't do it much justice. The thing that makes baroque, especially this church, architecture stand out is how the definitions of painting, sculpture, and architecture begins to blur and merge together. Even staring at the ceiling, the paintings leave the frame still two-dimensional and somehow gracefully transform into three-dimensional sculptures. The sculptures flow into the paintings, and the architectural details often look more like paintings or sculptures. It's hard to tell where one element ends and another begins. Everything works together to create one vibrant composition where it's all or nothing - no element could be removed without ruining the entire effect.
...more examples of the ceiling.
... the side aisle chapels.
... a good example of baroque sculpture - dynamic poses with perfect balance, layers of draping clothes, faces full of expression and emotion.
... when the light came in through the windows and shone off the gold adornings, it was simply beautiful.