Santa Maria della Vittoria
|
|
BerniniEcstacy.jpg
Santa Maria della Vittoria is a church in Rome.
The interior of this tiny church follows all of the rules of the Baroque period--sumptuousness, gold everywhere and lots of colour. The masterpiece in the Cornaro Chapel, to the left of the altar, is Bernini's "Ecstasy of St. Teresa." The incident depicts a moment described by Saint Teresa of Avila in her biography, where she had the vivid vision of an angel piercing her heart with a golden shaft, causing her both immense joy and pain. The flowing robes and contorted posture abandon classical restraint and repose to depict a more passionate, almost voluptous trance.
The Cardinal Priest of the Title of Santa Maria della Vittoria is Giuseppe Caprio.
The church has seen a surge in tourism growth thanks to the widespread popularity of author Dan Brown's novel Angels and Demons, which features the church.