Ecstasy of Saint Theresa


Caption
View of the sculptural group "Ecstasy of St. Theresa", from below; photograph, Archivision archive
Date
10/1/1998 (creation)
Related person
Gian Lorenzo Bernini (was created by)
Date
1645-1652 (creation)
Location
Europe->Italy->Lazio->Rome->Santa Maria della Vittoria
Description
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.
Style/Period
Baroque (AAT)