The Lilium guide

The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa by Bernini

The Baroque that takes your breath away, a short walk from the hotel

A few minutes' walk from the Lilium, along our own Via Venti Settembre, there is a church most people pass without a glance. Inside, in the half-light of a side chapel, one of the absolute peaks of the Baroque awaits you: Bernini's Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. Entry is free, and for a few minutes the marble seems to breathe.

Bernini's Ecstasy of Saint Teresa: the swooning saint and the angel with the golden dart, marble, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome

Photo: Alvesgaspar / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Marble that looks like flesh

The moment fixed in marble

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680), the impresario of the Roman Baroque, carved this group in marble between 1647 and 1652. It depicts the Transverberation of Saint Teresa of Ávila: the Spanish mystic, describing her own visions, tells of an angel who repeatedly pierces her heart with a golden dart, in a pain so intense it becomes joy. Bernini freezes exactly that moment.

The saint is sunk back on a cloud, her face tilted, her lips parted, a bare foot dangling in the void. Above her the angel smiles and raises the arrow. The miracle is all in the material: the marble becomes cloth, skin, hair, air. The folds of her habit seem to quiver, as if shaken by an inner wind. It is sculpture, and yet it is almost painting — and almost theatre.

Behind the group, golden rays descend from above. A hidden window, set above the chapel and invisible to onlookers, lets real light rain down on the marble: on the right days the saint seems to glow from within. It is Bernini's stroke of genius — to make natural light perform as if it were part of the work.

The Cornaro Chapel in the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, Bernini's theatre of coloured marbles, Rome

Photo: Livioandronico2013 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

A theatre of marble

The Cornaro Chapel

The Ecstasy is not an isolated work: it is the focal point of an entire staging. The Cornaro Chapel was commissioned by the Venetian cardinal Federico Cornaro as a family chapel, and Bernini conceived it as a theatre. To either side, on what look like opera boxes, members of the Cornaro family are carved in the act of watching the scene: some are talking, others lean forward, like spectators at an event that is really taking place.

Coloured marbles, gilding, painted perspectives and feigned architecture build an illusionistic space in which sculpture, architecture and light become a single piece of stagecraft. It is the Baroque idea taken to its extreme: art does not describe the miracle, it stages it and draws you in. When you look up, you realise you yourself are part of the audience.

To know before you enter

Three things worth remembering

Don't confuse it

It's Santa Maria della Vittoria

The work is not at Santa Maria Maggiore, as is sometimes believed. It is in the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, near Largo Santa Susanna, along Via Venti Settembre. The chapel is the first in the transept to the left of the high altar.

Free entry

No ticket needed

As an active church, entry is free: no ticket, no reservation. There is often a coin-operated spotlight beside the chapel that lights the marble more clearly. A small offering is always welcome.

Light and timing

Take your time

The natural light falling on the group changes through the day. It is worth pausing for a few minutes, letting your eyes adjust to the half-light and waiting for the scene to reveal itself. Hurry, here, is the real enemy.

The Baroque façade of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria on Via Venti Settembre, Rome

Photo: NateBergin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

Where to find it, how to get there

A few steps from our door

The church faces onto Via Venti Settembre, at the level of Largo Santa Susanna, near Piazza della Repubblica. It is our own street: from the Lilium, on Via Venti Settembre 58/A, you arrive in a few minutes on foot, straight ahead, passing the famous Fountain of Moses (the Fontana dell'Acqua Felice). It is hard to imagine a masterpiece more within reach.

Those who prefer public transport have Metro line A, Repubblica station, a very short distance from the church. But honestly, for a handful of minutes, the walk is worth more than any shortcut: Via Venti Settembre is a solemn axis of palazzi and ministries, and arriving on foot is the right way to settle into the right frame of mind.

As this is a place of worship, the hours generally follow those of a Roman parish — morning and afternoon, with a break in the middle of the day — and may vary with services and seasons. It is best to check shortly before your visit: our reception is happy to confirm the day's hours.

Making the most of the visit

Respect and attention

Place of worship·Silence

How to behave

Enter in modest dress, shoulders and knees covered, and keep your voice low. Avoid visiting during Mass, out of respect for those at prayer. Photography without flash is generally tolerated; flash, never — it disturbs the faithful and does no justice to the marble.

10 minutes·Look closely

How to look at it

Stand facing the chapel and look for the golden rays and the hidden window above the group. Then shift your gaze to the side boxes, where the Cornaro family watch the scene. Only then do you understand that Bernini did not carve a statue: he directed an entire performance.

The Baroque interior nave of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, with marbles, stucco and gilding, Rome

Photo: Szilas / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

More than a statue

Why it's worth the trip

Even without its most celebrated chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria is one of the most sumptuous Baroque churches in Rome: a single nave densely decorated with polychrome marbles, gilded stucco and canvases, where every surface catches the light. It is the perfect setting in which the Ecstasy does not jar, but finds its home.

For us it is also a small point of neighbourhood pride: to have, at the end of our own street, a work that art historians have studied for four centuries and that travellers cross the ocean to see. It is the kind of discovery we love to recommend — not the most obvious postcard, but the quiet masterpiece that becomes the strongest memory of the stay.

If Baroque elegance captures you, another surprising Rome awaits a short distance away: discover the Coppedè district, Liberty-style Rome, and everything you can see near Porta Pia.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Where is Bernini's Ecstasy of Saint Teresa?

The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa is in the Cornaro Chapel, inside the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome, along Via Venti Settembre near Largo Santa Susanna, close to Piazza della Repubblica. Take care not to confuse it with Santa Maria Maggiore: that is a different church. From the Lilium Boutique Hotel, on Via Venti Settembre 58/A, it is a few minutes' walk along the same street.

How much does it cost to see the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa?

Entry is free: Santa Maria della Vittoria is an active Catholic church, not a museum, and you may enter freely during opening hours. No ticket or reservation is required. It is good practice to leave an offering, and there is often a coin-operated spotlight beside the chapel that lights Bernini's group more clearly.

Who made the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, and when?

The work is by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680), the greatest sculptor of the Roman Baroque, who carved it in marble between 1647 and 1652 on commission from the Venetian cardinal Federico Cornaro for the family chapel. It depicts the Transverberation of Saint Teresa of Ávila: the angel piercing her heart with a golden dart.

What are the opening hours of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria?

The church generally follows the typical hours of a Roman parish: open in the morning and the afternoon, with a break in the middle of the day and closing in the evening. Hours can change with the seasons and with religious services, so it is best to check on site shortly before your visit; the Lilium reception can confirm the day's current hours.

How should you behave during the visit, given that it is a church?

Santa Maria della Vittoria is a place of worship: enter in modest dress (shoulders and knees covered), keep your voice low and avoid visiting during Mass. Photography without flash is generally tolerated, but flash should be avoided out of respect and to protect the artworks.

The Baroque, just outside your door

Sleep beside a masterpiece

Stay at the Lilium Boutique Hotel and the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa is a few minutes' walk away — together with a Rome of quiet surprises we love to share with you. Fourteen rooms, one flower each.

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