S. Andrea al Quirinale, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, is undoubtedly one of the great achievements of the Italian Baroque. No less spectacular is its message, though art historians have generally regarded it as simply a Jesuit church housing the glorious scene of the martyrdom and apotheosis of St. Andrew. This view, however, is clearly misleading since a closer examination of the building and its contents shows that the devout and learned Bernini intended to suggest a number of other important related themes. / This thesis focuses on the concept of martyrdom through a thorough analysis of not only the dominant religious event above the high altar area, but the entire iconographic scheme of the church, which is reinforced by the architectural setting. This Jesuit building is further examined in the light of several artistic influences. The most obvious, yet most overlooked of these is the literary source of the Spiritual Exercises by St. Ignatius of Loyola. S. Andrea al Quirinale is also considered in terms of the architectural heritage of early Christian churches and martyria. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

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