The church of Saint Ignatius in Dubrovnik was built as a part of the Jesuit monastery at the beginning of the eighteenth century. The monastery serves as headquarter, main seat of the Dubrovnik Jesuits who first appeared in Dubrovnik in the sixteenth century, at the time when St. Ignatius of Loyola was still alive. The second time that Jesuits came to Dubrovnik was when the nobility recognized their contribution in educating the youth. The first project for the college and church was made by Serafino Fabrini, an Italian Jesuit and architect. Even though the foundation stone was laid in 1662. the construction had to be stopped due to the great earthquake that Dubrovnik faced in 1667. However, when the price of the land dropped as a result of the earthquake, the Jesuits were given an opportunity to expand the construction of their monastery to a larger area, and thus continued with the tradition and style of their order. Finally, at the beginning of the eighteenth century, the church was built by prominent architect Andrea Pozzo and the building of the college and monastery was completed as well. Also, there is an interesting square in front of the church which can be approached by climbing up the monumental staircase designed by Pietro Passalacqua. In addition, the staircase served as an excellent link between the busy city streets.