Kneeling in the center of the composition is St. Ignatius in priestly garb with yellow chasuble and maniple; in his left hand he holds a long rod and is in the act of adoring the Child seated on the lap of the Madonna holding a scroll. Standing to the right is St. Francis Xavier, in white surplice and stole holding a lily in his left hand.
The work was originally placed in the baptistery chapel of the cathedral church where there is evidence of an altar dedicated to St. Ignatius as early as the early 1600s. The chapel underwent major transformations after the rediscovery of the Norman Benedictine cloister to allow access to the rooms brought to light after centuries of oblivion.
