Church of Jesus and the Saints Ambrogio and Andrea

The Church of Jesus and the Saints Ambrogio and Andrea is a Baroque church in Genoa, located in Piazza Matteotti, near the Palazzo Ducale and the Piazza De Ferrari.

The church, belonging to the Jesuits from the 16th century, hosts works by the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens, the Italian artist Guido Reni and by the greatest authors of the Genoese Baroque.

SHORT HISTORY

The primitive church of Sant’Ambrogio dates back to the 6th century, when the Milanese clergy fled to Genoa, following the Lombard persecutions. The Genoese captivity of the Milanese bishops lasted until the middle of the 7th century, when the bishop Giovanni Bono (John the Good) returned to Milan.

Around 1522, the old church passed into the hands of the Jesuits. In 1589, the Jesuits rebuilt the church to its current form, on a project by the architect Giuseppe Valeriano.

The facade of the church was completely rebuilt in the second half of the 19th century. Completed in 1894, the facade included two statues of Sant’Ambrogio and Sant’Andrea, by Michele Ramognino.

ART

In the central nave and in the dome, we can find frescoes by the painter Giovanni Carlone and by his younger brother, Giovanni Battista Carlone.

On the main altar, there are wonderful paintings, such as the Circumcision of Peter Paul Rubens, dated 1608, the Massacre of the Innocents by Giovanni Battista Merano and the Flight into Egypt by Domenico Piola. Between the columns, there are statues of Saints Peter and Paul by Giuseppe Carlone.

In the first chapel of the right aisle there is a fresco by Giuseppe Galeotti and a painting by Giovanni Andrea De Ferrari. In the niches, we can find statues of Saint Carlo Borromeo and Sant’Ambrogio by Giovanni Domenico Casella.

In the second chapel, there is a fresco by Lorenzo De Ferrari and a canvas depicting the Crucifixion, by Simon Vouet. Below the altar, there is a nativity scene carved by Tommaso Orsolino.

In the great arch of the third chapel there are frescoes by the painter Lorenzo De Ferrari and a canvas by Guido Reni depicting the Assumption.

HOW TO GET THERE

The closest Metro stop is De Ferrari, located about 180 meters away, in the square with the same name. The closest bus stop is Dante, located about 180 meters away, on the bus Lines 17, 35, 42, 635, 641, 685, 686 and 687.