This is one of Bernini’s most controversial marbles.
Many defined this sculpture to be resembling an erotic ecstasy and to be an inappropriate expression for a saint. But Bernini defended himself by saying he had simply transformed Saint Teresa words into an image, nothing more:
“I saw in his hand a long spear of gold.. he appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to get rid of it..”
This theatrical scene was carved out of a single piece of Carrara marble! The folds are so deep that during one of the last restoration works, tiny fragments of marble from Bernini’s carving were found 😍
Here’s a closer look at the details that made so many people pause.
See the video transcript
This church in Rome hides one of the most controversial artworks of the city that you probably already heard about. This is Santa Maria della Vittoria, which is also one of the jubilee churches. When inside, head to the last chapel on the left. Here you’ll find the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. This sculpture, made by Bernini, captures the moment when an angel pierces Teresa’s heart with a spear, leaving her with both pain and divine ecstasy. However, some have interpreted this more like an erotic ecstasy. But Bernini replied he simply translated into marble what Teresa wrote in her autobiography.
📍You can visit this marvel at the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, on the Quirinal hill in Rome (Via Venti Settembre, 17)
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