Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Ecstasy of Saint Teresa
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ArtistGian Lorenzo Bernini
Year1647–1652 (1647–1652)
Catalogue48
TypeSculpture
MediumMarble
DimensionsLife-size
LocationSanta Maria della Vittoria, Rome
Coordinates41°54′17″N 12°29′39″E / 41.90472°N 12.49417°E / 41.90472; 12.49417
Preceded byRaimondi Chapel
Followed byTruth Unveiled by Time (Bernini)

The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (also known as Saint Teresa in Ecstasy; Italian: L'Estasi di Santa Teresa or Santa Teresa in estasi) is a sculptural altarpiece group in white marble set in an elevated aedicule in the Cornaro Chapel of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome.[1] It was designed and carved by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the leading sculptor of his day, who also designed the setting of the chapel in marble, stucco and paint. The commission was completed in 1652.

The ensemble includes at the sides two sets of donor portraits of members of the Cornaro family, who watch the main central group as though in boxes in a theatre. The group is generally considered to be one of the sculptural masterpieces of the High Roman Baroque. The sculpture over the altar shows Saint Teresa of Ávila, a Spanish Carmelite nun (1515–1582), swooning in a state of religious ecstasy, while an angel holding a spear stands over her, following her own account of a vision she had.

  1. ^ An alternative title as the Transverberation of Saint Teresa is sometimes seen on religious sites on the internet. The OED describes "transverberation" as obselete in English, with only one usage, in the 1880s. It means piercing through the breast, as Teresa describes in her vision.