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There are two entrances for visitors to Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio di Loyola, a prominent 17th-century church in central Rome that has an illustrious baroque facade.
The entrance on the left is for those seeking to soak up its history and artistic treasures, or perhaps light a candle and have a moment of reflection. The one on the right is for those seeking to capture their reflection in what has become known as “the best selfie mirror” in Rome.
The mirror was strategically positioned in the church a few years ago to provide visitors with a unique perspective of the sublime ceiling fresco above. Painted by the Italian architect Andrea Pozzo, the work depicts Saint Ignatius of Loyola, a Spanish priest who founded the Jesuit order, being welcomed into paradise by Christ and the Madonna.
However, it is not the fresco that those waiting for up to an hour in the mirror queue care about. Ever since TikTok was recently deluged with videos of influencers flaunting their perfect selfies, thousands have flocked to the church, transforming the former hidden gem into a tourist attraction. Entering the church is free, but it costs €1 (83p) for a mirror selfie.
Such is the popularity, the Colosseum and Trevi fountain are no longer the priorities for some first-time visitors to Rome. “I’m just here for the selfie,” said Noemy Timelli, a 20-year-old from Puglia as she prepared to be take a snap with her friend. “We did a quick search on social media about what to see in Rome, and this was the most interesting thing that came up.”
The pair shared their selfie on social media before leaving the church, not sticking around to see Pozzo’s other masterpiece, a fresco that depicts a fake dome, or the chapel where the Jesuit founder is laid to rest.
Lama, from Riad, said she heard about the church through TikTok. “It’s a good thing, because the younger generation likes this kind of stuff,” she said. “But I guess the majority probably don’t care about the art or history.”
Alessandro Marinucci was in the queue with an influencer friend. He thought the mirror feature was crazy but could not help admire the Catholic church’s “stroke of marketing genius”. “They’ve managed to transform a church into a money-making racket,” he said. “I mean, all you have to do is look up to see the fresco, but here we have people paying €1 to take a photo in the mirror.”
The Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio di Loyola is not the only site in the Italian capital that has been thrust into the limelight because of social media. People have been cramming into a tiny passage close to Campo de’ Fiori decorated with frescoes and featuring a niche containing an image of Mary, mother of Jesus ever since a video showing people the way to the attraction was shared on Instagram by Gian Marco D’Eusebi, a content creator who “talks about Rome and its history”.
In the 1700s, the site was hugely popular with pilgrims but was also so difficult to locate that it led to the Roman expression “Cercà Maria pe’ Roma”, or “to look for Mary in Rome”. It roughly means searching for something that you will never find.
D’Eusebi solved the problem with his post.
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“The video went viral; I was inundated with people tagging me in photos and videos from this secret passage,” he said. “But my community of followers are people who are curious and passionate about Rome, and who want to discover new things. This is the positive aspect of influencing tourism to little known places. But I am not in favour of the profiles that just trigger a fashion trend like the selfie mirror – people simply go there for a selfie without even knowing which era the church was built.”
Another central Rome attraction that has gained an increase in visitors after being promoted by social media influencers is the Hendrik Christian Andersen Museum, which used to house the Norwegian-American sculptor’s studio and residence, close to Piazza del Popolo.
“If a museum that was otherwise mostly empty is attracting more interest thanks to social media, then that is a good thing,” said Fabrizio Politi, a content creator who also uncovers Rome’s hidden attractions. “It can also lead to investment in sites that had otherwise been abandoned. But it’s an idiotic thing if the only motive for going to a place is for a selfie.”
Politi’s social media accounts have also attracted visitors to places outside of Rome, too, such as Isola del Liri, a town known for a castle that rests between two waterfalls. “I’m here to promote Italy’s treasures,” he said.
However, not everyone queuing for a mirror selfie were twentysomething TikTokers. Benedetta Palombo, a teacher from Pescara, was curious about seeing the fresco from a different perspective. “It feels like such a lost opportunity to simply come for the photo,” she said. “But I guess at least it gets a lot of young people into the church, and hopefully some will learn to appreciate its history.”