The Église du Gesù is the most extravagant of Vieux Nice's many baroque churches, built by the Jesuits in the early 17th century as a deliberate display of Counter-Reformation grandeur. The interior is an overwhelming accumulation of gilded stucco, painted ceilings, and marble altars, the product of a century of sustained decorative effort. It is significantly more theatrical than the Cathedral of Sainte-Réparate a few streets away.
The building is on Rue Droite, the old town's main east-west axis, and is easy to find by the sound of its bells. Mass is held daily, and the church is generally open to visitors outside service times. The contrast between the narrow medieval street outside and the voluptuous interior is typical of Vieux Nice's pleasures.