One possible way to visit and better appreciate the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola is by listening to audioguides, which, however, have not yet been produced by anyone. Both during the publication of this and seeing the many tourists who are always disoriented in the church, I had the idea to create and publish audioguides about the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola and distribute them for free in multiple languages.
But it is a long and difficult job, which I would do at my own expense, so before I start, I want to understand if and how many people are interested, and especially what tourists would like to know about this church. I have ideas, but I would like to get feedback from the readers of this site.
That’s why I published this page: I would like to know your opinions on this matter.
Let’s break down the issue into several points:
- FREE audioguides
- multilingual
- survey: are you interested? -> write me!
- let’s be honest
- would you do it?
- list of topics
- example: the altar of St. Louis
- independent from the Jesuits
- conclusions and your comments
You can use the comments below for other ideas and suggestions about the audioguides.
Tell me sincerely what you think.
FREE audioguides
The two main points of these audioguides are that they must be informative, conveying something interesting to better understand and appreciate what can be seen in the Church of St. Ignatius, thus making the visit more engaging, and most importantly, free: I firmly believe that knowledge should be distributed for free, from major knowledge such as school and university education to small things like these simple audioguides for tourists. And I like to be in tune with St. Ignatius: the founder of the Jesuit Order also strongly believed in the importance of providing free cultural education.
Furthermore, they will be secular audioguides, independent of the Roman Catholic Church, which, in my personal opinion, is currently experiencing moments of serious crisis.
However, doing them well (informative and well-made, long enough to not be too boring or too superficial and hurried) and publishing them for free is a significant effort for me: that’s why before embarking on this project, I want to hear the opinion of my readers.
Also because I want to publish them in multiple languages.
multilingual
I am Roman, and many times I have passed by the church, especially when I entered, I always saw many tourists, seemingly from all over the world, all more or less confused, wandering aimlessly in the church, not understanding what they were seeing. The number of tourists has increased significantly in recent years.
I then thought it was essential to publish them in multiple languages: certainly in the five main European languages, Italian, English, French, German, and Spanish, but also in other major languages spoken by tourists from further away, so I would like to translate them into Chinese, Japanese, and Russian.
Then, if the idea is successful, I would progressively add more languages: Portuguese, Hindi, Korean, other European languages, etc.
Obviously, this is only possible today because we have the help of prodigious artificial intelligence: until yesterday, without it, it would have been absolutely impossible, because it is not just about writing but especially about speaking correctly in other languages, many of which are unknown to me. Besides my native language, Italian, I only speak English well: I get by with French, I understand a little German but have serious pronunciation difficulties, I understand and can pronounce Spanish (but I have never studied it), and all other languages are an unmanageable mystery.
However, it is important to speak to foreigners, especially those coming from far away: it is important to explain Christian Catholic symbolism especially to those who do not know it because they do not have Christian elements permeated in their culture.
And frankly, even most Italians, Romans, I know need a guide with detailed explanations on everything: for decades they have eradicated Christian culture from Italian society, and now almost all Italians cannot recognize and understand the symbols and meanings carved in the stones of our churches, even though they are everywhere in our Italian territory. Imagine then when they go abroad.
If I go to Japan and visit a Shinto temple, I need a lot of explanations because otherwise, I won’t understand anything. Even the symbols and rituals of Orthodox Christianity, which I understand little even with a Catholic education. When I travel abroad, I would like to have audioguides that explain well what I have before my eyes and make my visit interesting. An English guide would be enough for me, but if I find it in my native language, even better. And if it’s free, I enjoy the experience more, not just because I don’t have to pay (after already paying so much for all aspects of the trip), but especially because I feel welcomed, someone thought to help me in my language, dedicated attention to me without asking anything in return, and this positive feeling makes me appreciate the place I visit more.
Therefore: it is important to produce well-made audioguides in the main languages spoken by tourists visiting Rome.
But many languages -> a lot of work for me.
And before dedicating time and resources, I want to hear your opinion.
Are you interested? -> write to me!
Before embarking on the creation and publication (and then dissemination) of these free audioguides, you will understand that I want to assess if they will be of interest, and to how many people they might interest: if only a few are interested, I might publish them calmly in a few years.
If you are interested, write me an email at
And tell me what and why you are interested: what would you like to know about this church? See below the paragraph that gives an example of the twisted columns in the side altar dedicated to St. Aloysius Gonzaga and give me some specific feedback on what I write in that paragraph. Obviously, imagine listening to these written texts in your smartphone headphones while visiting the church.
You could also tell me the same things in the comments at the bottom of the page, but I prefer if you write me an email: it takes a little more effort, a little more time, and a greater commitment to write. From this, I can also gauge the level of interest from people.
Let me know what you think.
And above all, be frank and honest: let’s be honest.
let’s be honest
Yes, let’s be honest. It’s important. I’ll start.
Yes, it’s absolutely true that I want to create, publish, and distribute free audioguides, made as well as possible, in as many languages as I can translate them into. I want them to be free for everyone and I absolutely don’t want to make any money from them: I’m not doing this for profit. But when I think about all the work I have to do, and also that I will have to pay for the use of artificial intelligence tools to vocalize in the various languages (which I would never be able to pronounce correctly), when I think about all this, I start to desire something in return. Or rather, to achieve something: not for me, but for others.
So I thought this: I produce and distribute these audioguides for free, and at the end of some audio files, I will include an invitation to donate something for the poor if these guides are appreciated. And by “something” I mean really little: even just 50 cents or at most one euro. You can leave these in the donation boxes you find in the church. So these coins do not come to me but directly to the Jesuits, who hopefully will use them for the poor as well as for maintaining the church.
I also plan to start some support projects for orphans soon, so after downloading these guides, I would like to include links to those projects with an invitation to donate a small symbolic amount. Again, only 50 cents or one euro, really little. And only if you are satisfied with the audioguides I published. But I don’t know if people will actually send these small amounts via Paypal or similar: paradoxically, the fact that the request is too low is almost an obstacle to the realization of the donation. Which I repeat is absolutely optional: one can easily download the audioguides and not donate anything.
Of course, in this case, I would provide online proof that the money actually goes to the orphans (but it’s still all to be built).
What do you think? Tell me the truth.
would you do it?
What I wrote earlier: would you do it? If you are satisfied with the audioguides I give you for free, especially if you are a foreign tourist, would you put a coin in the donation boxes in the church? I have to check if there is a specific one for donations to the poor and needy, which is the idea I want to support.
Or would you donate via secure electronic payment (like Paypal or similar) a small symbolic amount for a project to support orphans?
Again, the offer is only optional: there is no obligation. The guides can be downloaded for free and used without any binding.
And moreover: does it bother you that an optional donation is proposed for the poor?
Often, poorly made donation requests bother me.
Let me know.
list of topics
The plan for publishing the guides has yet to be defined, and I still haven’t decided whether to publish them or not, but if I do, they will be a series of audio files describing all the main areas of the church, the main artworks, the history of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the main Jesuits buried in the church, and the history of the Jesuits and their missionary work worldwide.
The idea is to prepare a printable PDF in A4 format with a schematic map of the church and indications of where to listen to the various numbered audio files (the map will have numbers in various places of the church, numbers that correspond to the audio files to listen to at that location), with minimal information and written instructions on this sheet. In this way, it will accompany the visitor on their journey inside the church.
But let’s take a practical example of one of these audio files:
example: the altar of St. Louis
Let’s take a practical example to understand if what I intend to write is of interest or not.
Wandering around the church, you will undoubtedly notice the side altar dedicated to St. Aloysius Gonzaga, reproduced in this photo of mine:
That it’s beautiful is understandable without explanations … but what is it?
The guy in the center looks young: who is he?
You can simply take a photo to post later on social media, without understanding and without knowing.
Or while standing in front of this side altar, you can listen to an audio that explains who the saint depicted was and the various hidden symbols in the images.
This splendid marble altar was created by Andrea Pozzo and dedicated to St. Aloysius Gonzaga: the marble relief of the altarpiece depicts the ascent to heaven of St. Aloysius. Looking closely at the scene, you can see that the protagonist has the face of a young boy: Aloysius Gonzaga died very young at only 23 years old, killed by the plague in Rome in June 1591.
The firstborn of Ferrante Gonzaga, Marquis of Castiglione delle Stiviere (in the province of Mantua, in Lombardy), Aloysius was destined to inherit his father’s title, and as a young man was introduced to military life, which he then abandoned at a very young age to dedicate himself to religious life following his true vocation. In 1585, at the age of 17, he entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus in Rome, where he studied theology and philosophy and had as his teacher and spiritual director St. Robert Bellarmine (also buried in this church, famous for the trials of Giordano Bruno and Galileo Galilei, to whom a separate audioguide could be dedicated). When the plague struck Rome heavily in 1590-91, the young Aloysius dedicated himself to caring for the sick and was infected himself when one day he carried a poor plague victim on his shoulders to the hospital; already ill and weakened, Aloysius died shortly after. He was beatified 14 years after his death, canonized as a saint in 1726, proclaimed the patron of Catholic youth by Pope Pius XI in 1926, and appointed the patron of AIDS patients by Pope John Paul II. And this is in super summary: there could be much more to say about him.
On the pediment of the altar are two female marble statues: they are the allegorical figures of Purity (on the right) and Penance (on the left). Below is a precious funeral urn containing the relics of the saint, and on either side of the urn are two statues of small angels: the one on the left has a crown at its feet, alluding to the noble title that Aloysius Gonzaga renounced to serve Christ by joining the Society of Jesus; the angel on the right holds a crown of flowers and with his foot pushes away a lapis lazuli globe, a symbol of the worldly glories that Aloysius renounced to follow Christ in evangelical poverty.
As can be seen from the photo, the marble altarpiece is framed by a double pair of twisted columns, a type of column found in several Roman churches: think, for example, of the canopy of St. Peter’s. These twisted, or spiral, columns have an important meaning both historically and symbolically: historically, they refer to the columns that adorned the entrance of the Temple of Jerusalem, and for this reason, they are also called “Solomonic columns” because the temple was built in the 10th century BC by King Solomon, and they are used to symbolize the connection between the Old and New Testaments; but their ascending spiral shape also has the symbolic meaning of the ascent to the divine, where the upward movement toward heaven represents prayer that creates a connection between the earthly world and the divine heavenly world.
And there would be much more to say about twisted columns.
But … are these stories interesting? Or are they just boring?
In the audio, is it useful to briefly explain the meaning of words rarely used in common language today? Quickly say that the presbytery is the part of the church reserved for the officiating clergy (the presbyters, a term now commonly shortened to priests) and is the area at the end of the central nave where the high altar is located, and that the concave part that closes it is called the apse.
Are you interested in the etymology of religious words? For example, “sin” which we all know the meaning of, but are you interested in knowing where this word comes from?
Let me know! Write to me at info@chiesasantignazio.org
independent from the Jesuits
At the bottom of all the pages of this site, it is clearly stated that this site is managed independently and is not affiliated in any way with the Jesuit Order, the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the related parish, or the Diocese of Rome. For official information, please consult directly the official sources of the Diocese of Rome or the Jesuit Order.
The domain was abandoned by the Jesuits years ago, I took it over in 2023 and in 2024 I published this free guide for tourists, all at my own expense and without profit motives. And now I have the project to also publish free audioguides, again without wanting to earn anything from them.
I am therefore a simple Roman citizen, a layman, absolutely independent from the Roman Church and the Jesuit Order, who spreads thoughts and travel guides on the internet, in multiple languages.
conclusions and your comments
Well, I think I’ve talked enough. It’s true that it’s often important to get straight to the point, but in audioguides, it’s necessary to expand the topic and explain everything, otherwise, they would last 20 seconds and not be of much interest.
At this point, it’s up to you: if you are interested in the audioguides, write to me at info@chiesasantignazio.org and tell me what you think, what you would like to hear, tell me honestly if you would donate a euro or even just 50 cents to the poor if you are satisfied with the audioguides (again, there is no obligation), give me useful advice.
I prefer if you write me an email, but you can also use the comments below.
Give me your feedback!
Thank you.
Other pages dedicated to discovering the Church of St. Ignatius in Rome:
This site is managed independently and is not affiliated in any way with the Jesuit Order, the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the related parish, or the Diocese of Rome.
For official information, please consult directly the official sources of the Diocese of Rome or the Jesuit Order.