A projection lens of the retrofocus type that has a long back focus and that can project with a high contrast, exhibits small aberrations and converts a light path inside the lens. A first lens set having a negative refractive power, a light path converter, and an iris and a second lens set having a positive refractive power and an aspheric lens are disposed in order from the screen side. The first lens set includes a lens set having a negative refractive power and one or more aspheric lenses, a bending mirror serving as the light path converter, and a lens set having a positive refractive power. The lenses in the first lens set have an outer shape with a portion thereof cut outside an effective light ray in a direction of the light path conversion, and the direction of the light path conversion is a direction of a shorter side of rectangular image formation element.