The church of Saints Felix and Amantius, in the heart of Como’s walled city, is called “del Gesù” because the Society of Jesus built it from 1576. Named for Felix and Amantius, the first and third bishops of the city, it has kept the remains of Saint Amantius since 1590 and is now run by the Vincentian missionaries.
History
The church was raised from 1576 on the site of the old broletto, to a design by the Jesuit Giovanni Tristano, of 1575, modified during construction between 1577 and 1579 by Giovanni Antonio Piotti. Since 1590 the remains of Saint Amantius have rested there, until then in the basilica of Sant’Abbondio. With the old parish church of San Benedetto gone, it is the most central church inside the walls (Puntoluce).
The Jesuits kept church and college until the suppression of the order, in the last thirty years of the 18th century (the college is given as suppressed in 1777): the convent then became a gendarmerie barracks. In 1898, at the initiative of Bishop Teodoro Valfrè di Bonzo, church and former convent passed to the Vincentians, who have served there since 1904 (Wikipedia). The restorations of 1968 were directed by Giuseppe Rocchi.
What to see
The facade has four pilasters, with the portal topped by a lunette and a large window, and two niches with Saints Abbondio and Amantius. The facade graffiti are by the Como painters Eugenio and Giovanni Rossi, of 1950. The interior has a single nave with semi-elliptical vaults, decorated by Torildo Conconi in 1938 and 1968; above the high altar a fresco of Saint Amantius in glory is given to Giuseppe Antonio Petrini, of the 18th century. The chapel of Saints Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier, once the Gallio family’s, has a polychrome altar by Raimondo Feraboschi, a sculptor from Laino Intelvi, and paintings by the Recchi of about 1635; the altar canvas stands above the case with the remains of Saint Amantius. In a gallery is an organ with 726 pipes, restored in 1930 and 2010, and on the right a chapel dedicated to the Madonna of Pompeii, frescoed by Volonterio in 1935 (Wikipedia).
Practical information
- The church is in via Primo Tatti, with an entrance from piazza Bordoli (QuiComo, for the holographic nativity exhibition of winter 2025-2026, with special hours: they do not apply to the rest of the year).
- We found no up-to-date official source for ordinary opening hours: to visit the church it is best to ask the parish of San Fedele, of which it is a branch.
Sources
- Puntoluce, Chiesa del Gesù a Como, la luce della fede
- QuiComo, Presepe olografico a Como: la Natività prende vita nella Chiesa del Gesù (8 December 2025)
- Wikipedia, Chiesa del Gesù (Como) entry.