Church of Sant'Ignazio in Piazza Armerina
The Church of Sant'Ignazio di Layola in Piazza Armerina is the first church dedicated to the saint after his beatification.
It was built in the early seventeenth century when the Jesuits settled in the city. Public and private donations allowed the construction of the church and the Casa professa, the third in Sicily, which was then elevated to a Jesuit College in 1613.
The slightly convex brick facade is divided into three bays in the lower part by flat pilasters of the Doric order, and is characterized by the curvilinear movement of the double elbow stairways.
The interior, with a basilica plan, is divided into three naves. In the transept, which does not protrude from the plan rectangle, a typical feature of Jesuit churches, there are two Baroque-style stucco altars with twisted columns.
Among the works kept inside the church there are numerous paintings of particular value dating back to 600, 700 and 800. Also noteworthy are: a carved wooden altar frontal, a neoclassical wooden choir and a large canvas depicting St. Ignatius.
