Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian sculptor, 1598-1680)
Bernini, Gian Lorenzo
1598
1680
Italian
1645-1652 (creation)
1645
1652
The central feature is the marble group of the Ecstasy of St. Teresa, which shows the saint recumbent on a cloud and an angel piercing her heart; the sculpture is illuminated by a hidden window. Bernini depicted Teresa in an attitude of ecstatic abandon, a spiritual swoon caused by the love of God; there are also allusions to her levitation upon receiving the Eucharist at Mass, her mystic marriage to Christ and her miraculous death.
Santa Maria della Vittoria (Rome, Lazio, Italy)
Santa Maria della Vittoria
Rome
Lazio
Italy
Europe
Cornaro Chapel
Grove Art Online; http://www.groveart.com/ (accessed 10/15/2007)
Baroque
Baroque
saints; Angels; Teresa, of Avila, Saint, 1515-1582
Teresa, of Avila, Saint, 1515-1582
Angels
carving (processes)
carving (processes)
Ecstasy of Saint Theresa
Ecstasy of Saint Theresa
Transverberation of Saint Teresa
Saint Teresa in Ecstasy
sculpture (visual work)
sculpture (visual work)
Gilchrist, Scott
10/1/1998 (creation)
18 MB
© Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc.
Archivision, Inc. 1A1-BG-CC-B8
Angels; interior; rays of sun; spear; folds
Angels
Close side view of the sculptural group "Ecstasy of St. Theresa", depicting the angel's full right arm and arrow
Close side view of the sculptural group "Ecstasy of St. Theresa", depicting the angel's full right arm and arrow
Carlo Maderno (Italian architect, ca. 1556 - 1629); Giovanni Battista Soria (Italian architect, 1581-1651)
Maderno, Carlo
1556
1629
Italian
Soria, Giovanni Battista
1581
1651
Italian
1608-1620 (creation); 1624-1626 (alteration)
1608
1620
1624
1626
The church is the only structure designed and completed by the early Baroque architect Carlo Maderno, though the interior suffered a fire in 1833 and required restoration. Its façade, however, was erected by Soria during Maderno's lifetime, 1624-1626, showing the unmistakable influence of Maderno's Santa Susanna nearby.
(Rome, Lazio, Italy)
Rome
Lazio
Italy
Europe
Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page (accessed 11/15/2007)
Baroque
Baroque
architectural exteriors; architectural interiors
construction
construction
Santa Maria della Vittoria
Santa Maria della Vittoria
buildings; religious buildings; churches
church
Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian sculptor and architect, 1598-1680)
Bernini, Gian Lorenzo
1598
1680
Italian
1647-1652 (creation)
1647
1652
The unity of sculpture, painting and architecture makes the chapel one of Bernini's greatest achievements. He was commissioned by the Venetian Cardinal Federigo Cornaro (1579-1653) to decorate a small chapel forming the left transept of the early 17th-century church. The patron wanted to construct a mortuary chapel for himself, commemorate seven other distinguished members of his family and, especially, honour St. Teresa of Avila, the 16th-century Spanish mystic and Carmelite reformer canonized in 1622.
Santa Maria della Vittoria (Rome, Lazio, Italy)
Santa Maria della Vittoria
Rome
Lazio
Italy
Europe
marble; stained glass; fresco
Santa Maria della Vittoria
Grove Art Online; http://www.groveart.com/ (accessed 10/17/2007)
Baroque
Baroque
death or burial; saints; Angels; Teresa, of Avila, Saint, 1515-1582
Teresa, of Avila, Saint, 1515-1582
Angels
carving (processes); construction
carving (processes)
construction
Cornaro Chapel
Cornaro Chapel
Santa Maria della Vittoria; Cornaro Chapel
Cappella Cornaro
building divisions; rooms and spaces; religious building spaces; chapels (rooms or structures); sepulchral chapels; sculpture (visual work)
sepulchral chapel
sculpture (visual work)