The Church of St. James the Major, known as "Jesus"was built in the 17th century by the Jesuits who had founded a college in the very heart of Old Nice; it marked the arrival of Baroque art in Nice and then served as an example for theconstruction of many other religious buildings in the region.
But the Jesuits were expelled from Nice in 1774, following the dissolution of their order by Pope Clement XIV, because their role of grey eminence with the princes gave them an important political power that disturbed the highest institutions of the Church.
In 1802, the church of Gesu became and would remain theseat of the parish of St. James the Major.
Its architecture, and in particular its façade, are to be compared to the church of Gesu in Rome. It has the influence of the Piedmontese Baroque and Roman buildings. Its rectangle plan is rigorous. There is no dome, but a long vault. Its decoration is very rich, especially in the high parts that symbolize the celestial vault, with more than a hundred little angels intended to manifest the love of God, and motifs illustrating the life of Santiago the Major made on the drawings of the Nice painter Hercule Trachel (1820-1872) who also painted the vaults of the church of the monastery of Cimiez.

The church of Gesu, has been classified as a "Historic Monument" since 1971.

Respect this place of worship.

* The Society of Jesus is a Catholic religious order founded by Ignatius of Loyola and recognized by Pope Paul III in 1540. Like other religious, the Jesuits profess the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience; but they also make their own fourth wish, that of absolute obedience to the Pope.
In the early 2000s, the Jesuit order became the most important of the Roman Catholic Church, and it was in March 2013 that Pope Francis, from their rank, was elected pontiff; he was the first Jesuit to head the Catholic Church.
** The Baroque road in Nice County.
Vieux Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Eze, La Turbie, Menton, Roquebrune, Peille, Roquebrune, Peille, L'Escarène, Lucéram ,Utelle, Saint Martin de Vésubie, Sospel, Breil sur Roya, Saorge, La Brigue, Tende.
*** St. James the major is one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, the elder brother of the Apostle John.