Basilica of San Luigi

In this sanctuary, elevated to a minor basilica in 1964 by Pope Paul VI, the relic of the skull of San Luigi Gonzaga is kept. The most significant episodes of the Saint’s life are illustrated here. The church, in its original appearance, was built by the Jesuits between 1608 and 1625 together with the College that extends to its side. Both buildings were erected by order of Francesco Gonzaga, brother of Luigi and prince of Castiglione. The project is by the architect Luca Bienni from Salò and is inspired by the church of Gesù in Rome from 1584, which was the point of reference for all the churches of the Society of Jesus in its period of maximum expansion. The church was completed in the first half of the eighteenth century, when, following the canonization of Luigi Gonzaga (1727), the Order experienced a new period of religious and cultural prestige. In particular, the presbytery, the elliptical dome of Borrominian inspiration and the marble complex of the main altar were rebuilt, as well as the pictorial decoration and part of the internal wooden furnishings. The porch that enriches the façade of the church also dates back to this era.