Ecstasy of Saint Teresa is a unique sculpture by the great Giovanni Bernini, reflecting the secret desires of a nun who lived in the 16th century. The uniqueness lies not only in the history of creation, but also in the fact that it reflects, what meaning it carries and what it "speaks" about. Moreover, leading art historians argue that calling the composition a sculpture is wrong and wrong. This is an altar marble group, striking in its liveliness, uncharacteristic for this type of material.
Description
The sculptural group Ecstasy of Saint Teresa is one of the best creations of the great Bernini. It is a baroque marble composition that tells the story of the mystical enlightenment of a Spanish nun. The figures of Teresa and the angel who descended to her from heaven in a dream are made of white marble. The divine light of illumination is made in the form of bronze rays in the background of the group. The composition is enclosed in a colonnade of colored marble.
The main character of the sculptural group is depicted with her head thrown back, her face reflects the languid feelings in which she is seized. The sculptor managed to make the stone "speak", to show all the subtleties of experiences. One gets the impression that the arrow in the angel's hands is trembling and is about to pierce the body of the nun, and a groan will be heard from her lips.
The marble in the hands of the master Giovanni Bernini has turned into a material similar to wax. The facial features of both the nun and the angel look so natural that the viewer involuntarily waits for the movement and further development of the scene. Natural light adds visual charm and completeness to the reality of the picture.
History of creation
Bernini was inspired to create this sculptural group by the letters of a nun from Spain. Teresa is not a fictional historical character, but a real woman who lived. Her life was associated with serving the Lord, dedicated to protecting the humiliated and the poor, preaching the Christian faith. For good intentions and deeds, Teresa was persecuted by the Inquisition.
The heroine was numbered among the saints only after her death. Teresa wrote down her thoughts and dreams, and they came down to us in the form of letters-messages for Christians. One of these letters, in which she frankly tells about her mystical dream, and served as an incentive for the creation of sculpture.
The subtlety of the syllable and the unusually clever presentation made Bernini think about the frailty of existence, about the signs that the Lord gives us. The master expressed his impressions and feelings from what he read in stone, which in his hands turned into a plastic and living material.
About the heroine - Saint Teresa
Teresa of Avila was born in the early 16th century into the family of a Spanish nobleman, a descendant of Jews baptized according to the traditions of Christianity. The girl was devout from childhood, learned to read early, and already at the age of 12, she wrote her first literary work - a novel about chivalry.
At the age of 20, Teresa fled from home and secretly took tonsure in a Carmelite monastery. A serious illness forced her to return to the care of her father, but after recovering, the girl again wished to live in the monastery. Very quickly, a circle of adherents of those ideas that did not always correspond to the canons of the Inquisition formed around the young nun. For this, they tried to excommunicate Teresa, to send her to remote areas of the country.
The nun did not succumb to threats and continued to preach her view of Christianity. It was she who became the reformer of Carmelite monasticism. In the "piggy bank" of Teresa's literary works there are creations of various directions:
· Own autobiography and descriptions of the life of the great people of those times;
· Philosophical compositions on religious topics;
· Poems;
· Fiction novels and poems;
• moralizing scriptures and appeals;
· Letters about the signs of God.
In 1614, Teresa was canonized according to Catholic canons, and in 1622 she was canonized by Gregory 15. In 1920, the nun was listed as Teachers of the Church by Pope Paul 6.
Where is the sculpture
The altarpiece group Ecstasy of Saint Teresa Bernini is located in a small Roman church called Santa Maria della Vitoria in the Trastevere area. The temple is distinguished by the theatrical design of the decoration, but the Christian canons are strictly observed in it. Here you cannot bare your shoulders and knees, women must go inside with their heads covered.
Santa Maria della Vittoria is not only a monument of architecture and art, but also a functioning temple where services and Christian Catholic rites are held. But the center of attention for tourists is one of the chapels of the temple, where the sculpture Ecstasy of St. Teresa is located.
