17th century movie

An ingenious Baroque machine which lowers a painting of the Holy Trinity to reveal a statue of St Ignatius Loyola has been restored to its full glory in a church in Rome.

The machine was designed in 1699 by Brother Andrea Pozzo, a Jesuit artist, to emphasise the sanctity of St Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuit order who died in 1556.

Every afternoon, visitors to the Chiesa del Gesu in Rome can see the 42ft high painting slowly slide down to show the gilded statue of the saint behind it. The show, accompanied by lights and music, is "a sequence of extraordinary emotional impact", said a spokesman for the church. Underneath the statue are the remains of St Ignatius in an urn.

Father Massimo Taggi, the rector of the church, said: "It is unique, the machine is like a cinematographic device for that epoque, and had a didactic character. The painting makes you see St Ignatius' mission and then when you see the statue you understand he has fulfilled his mission and entered heaven."
Malcom Moore in Today's Telegraph.

The story interests me as St Ignatius has been a major influenc through his "Spiritual Exercises" on my spirituality and ministry.