Pietàs

A Pietà is a picture or statue, depicting the Virgin Mary holding the body of her Son, the crucified Lord Jesus Christ on her lap or in her arms. The Church of the Gesu has two statues of the Pietà.

The Pietà in the Upper Church is located on the west side of the transept. This statue was carved by Giovanni Dupré, noted 19th century Italian sculptor. Dupré created this Pietà in 1860-65 for the family tomb of the marchese Bichi-Ruspoli in the cemetery of the Misericordia, Siena. It was awarded the Grande medaille d'honneur at the International Exhibition in Paris of 1867.
In 1871, Dupré made the only replica of his Pietà, two-thirds of the size of the original, for St. Gall's Church; Mrs. Harriet Cramer of Milwaukee was the generous donor. The sculpture is marble, showing Christ in the arms of Mary at the foot of the cross. There's such passion and drama in this sculpture that many consider it Dupré's finest work. One of the unique features of this rendering of the Pietà is that Mary's arms are not holding Jesus, but are flung open in despair.




















The Lower Church Pietà, pictured here, is located at the east transept entrance.