Church of the Gesu, Renaissance church building in Frascati, Italy.

The Church of the Gesu is a Renaissance-style building in Frascati with a wide hall and high walls decorated with Baroque frescoes. Inside, detailed painted scenes cover the ceiling and walls, creating a visually rich interior space.

A small church dedicated to the Virgin Mary was built on this site in 1520 for Lucrezia Della Rovere, with an adjoining chapel to Mary Magdalene. In 1560 the Jesuits took over the complex, and in 1597 they completed a single church, 17 metres long and 9 wide, designed by Father Giovanni De Rosis. In 1694 Olimpia Aldobrandini left 8,000 scudi for a larger church, built to Father Gregorio Castrichini's design by 1700 and consecrated in 1773 by Cardinal Henry Benedict Stuart, Duke of York.

The church holds the Refugium Peccatorum image of the Virgin Mary, which Blessed Antonio Baldinucci venerated in the 18th century and which was considered miraculous. Jesuits carried copies of it to Mexico by the 19th century, where it appeared in mission churches. Saint Vincent Mary Pallotti celebrated his first mass here.

The church stands in the historic centre of Frascati, a short walk from Piazza San Pietro and the cathedral; the entrance is on the street side, with the facade facing the town. Masses and feast days, notably the 14 February anniversary of the 1773 consecration, can close the nave to casual visitors, so check the parish notice board before setting out.

Two silver lamps bearing the coat-of-arms of the Duke of York hang before the altar as a personal gift from the cardinal. These rare objects reveal an unusual link between this church and the British Stuart family.