Final answer:
The Church of Il Gesù served as the prototype for the Catholic Counter-Reformation by removing its side aisles, narthex, and narrowing its transepts to focus on worship space clarity and simplicity. so, option d is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Church that Served as the Prototype for the Catholic Counter-Reformation
The church that served as a prototype for the Catholic Counter-Reformation by redesigning its spatial configuration, removing its side aisles and narthex, as well as narrowing its transepts, was the Church of Il Gesù. This answer can be discerned by the process of elimination and understanding the historical context of Counter-Reformation architecture. The Church of Il Gesù was the mother church of the Jesuits, who played a crucial role in the Counter-Reformation, and it reflects the strategic simplification of church interiors that characterized the Counter-Reformation's push for clarity and focus in Catholic worship spaces, distinguishing itself from the more complex structures of Renaissance churches.
Unlike Santa Maria Novella and Saint Peter's Basilica, which were influenced by earlier traditions and, in the case of St. Peter's, known for the vast interior crowned with a monumental dome, the Church of Il Gesù was a leading example of a newer approach driven by the Counter-Reformation ideals. Neither the Il Redentore nor the mentioned churches exhibited such a radical departure from traditional basilica design as seen in the Church of Il Gesù.