Santa Maria della Vittoria (, ) is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

titular Titular may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Title character in a narrative work, the character referred to in its title Religion * Titular (Catholicism), a cardinal who holds a titulus, one of the main churches of Rome ** Titular bisho ...

minor basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

and

Discalced Carmelite The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel () or the Order of Discalced Carmelites (; abbrev.: OCD; sometimes called in earlier times, ), is a Catholic mendicant ...

conventual church dedicated to Our Lady of Victories in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, famously the home of

Gian Lorenzo Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, ; ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 1598 – 28 November 1680) was an Italians, Italian sculptor and Italian architect, architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prom ...

‘s masterpiece the ''

Ecstasy of Saint Teresa The ''Ecstasy of Saint Teresa'' (also known as ''Saint Teresa in Ecstasy''; or ) 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, Rome, Santa Maria d ...

''. The church is in the

Rione A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the title of (). Formed a ...

Sallustiano, on number 98 via XX Settembre, where this street intersects with Largo Santa Susanna. It is located next to the Fountain of Moses and mirrors the Church of Santa Susanna across the Largo. It is about two blocks northwest of the Piazza della Repubblica and Teatro dell'Opera metro station.

History

The land for the church was purchased on April 20, 1607, and the church was built from 1608 to 1620 as a chapel dedicated to

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

for the

Discalced Carmelites The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel () or the Order of Discalced Carmelites (; abbreviation, abbrev.: OCD; sometimes called in earlier times, ), is a Catho ...

. After the Catholic victory at the

Battle of White Mountain The Battle of White Mountain (; ) was an important battle in the early stages of the Thirty Years' War. It led to the defeat of the Bohemian Revolt and ensured Habsburg control for the next three hundred years. It was fought on 8 November 16 ...

in 1620, which reversed the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

, the church was rededicated to the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

. Ottoman

standards Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object t ...

captured at the 1683

Battle of Vienna The Battle of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna on 1683 after the city had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months. The battle was fought by the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarchy) and the Polish–Li ...

were later hung in the church, reinforcing to the theme of the Virgin helping lead Catholic armies to victory. The order itself funded the building work until the discovery of the Borghese Hermaphroditus in the excavations.

Scipione Borghese Scipione Caffarelli-Borghese (; 1 September 1577 – 2 October 1633) was an Italian cardinal, art collector and patron of the arts. A member of the Borghese family, he was the patron of the painter Caravaggio and the artist Bernini. His legac ...

Cardinal-nephew A cardinal-nephew (; ; ; ; )Signorotto and Visceglia, 2002, p. 114. Modern French scholarly literature uses the term "cardinal-neveu'". was a Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal elevated by a pope who was that cardinal's relative. The practice of c ...

Pope Paul V Pope Paul V (; ) (17 September 1552 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death, in January 1621. In 1611, he honored Galileo Galilei as a mem ...

, appropriated this sculpture but, in return, funded the rest of work on the façade and granted the order his architect, Giovanni Battista Soria. These grants only came into effect in 1624, and work was completed two years later.

Exterior

The church is the only structure entirely designed and completed by the early

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

architect

Carlo Maderno Carlo Maderno or Maderna (1556 – 31 January 1629) was an Italian architect, born in today's Ticino, Switzerland, who is remembered as one of the fathers of Baroque architecture. His façades of Santa Susanna, St. Peter's Basilica, and Sant ...

, though the interior suffered a fire in 1833 and required restoration. Its façade, however, was erected by Giovanni Battista Soria during Maderno's lifetime, 1624–1626, showing the unmistakable influence of Maderno's

Santa Susanna The Church of Saint Susanna at the Baths of Diocletian () is a Roman Catholic, Catholic parish church, parish and Cistercian conventual church located on the Quirinal Hill in Rome, Italy. There has been a titular church associated to its site as ...

nearby.

Interior

Pipe organ in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR

The interior of the church has a single wide nave under a low segmental vault, with three interconnecting side chapels behind arches separated by colossal Corinthian pilasters with gilded capitals that support an enriched

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

. Contrasting marble revetments are enriched with white and gilded stucco angels and

putti A putto (; plural putti ) is a figure in a work of art depicted as a chubby male child, usually naked and very often winged. Originally limited to profane passions in symbolism,Dempsey, Charles. ''Inventing the Renaissance Putto''. University ...

in full relief. The interior was sequentially enriched after Maderno's death; its vault was frescoed in 1675 with triumphant themes within shaped compartments with feigned frames: ''The Virgin Mary Triumphing over Heresy'' and ''Fall of the Rebel Angels'' executed by

Giovanni Domenico Cerrini Giovanni Domenico Cerrini (1609–1681), also called ''Gian Domenico Cerrini'' or ''il Cavalier Perugino'', was a painter of the Baroque period, born in Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by t ...

in 1675.

Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome - Interior

Other sculptural detail abounds: ''The Dream of Joseph'' (left transept,

Domenico Guidi Domenico Guidi (1625 – 28 March 1701) was a prominent Italy, Italian Baroque sculptor. Born in Carrara, Guidi followed his uncle, Giuliano Finelli, a prominent sculptor noted for his feud with Gianlorenzo Bernini, Bernini, to Naples. Whe ...

, flanked by relief panels by Pierre Etienne Monnot) and the funeral monument to Cardinal Berlinghiero Gessi. There are paintings by

Guercino Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (February 8, 1591 – December 22, 1666),Miller, 1964 better known as (il) Guercino (), was an Italian Baroque painter and draftsman from Cento in the Emilia region, who was active in Rome and Bologna. The vigorous n ...

Domenichino Domenico Zampieri (, ; October 21, 1581 – April 6, 1641), known by the diminutive Domenichino (, ) after his shortness, was an Italian Baroque painter of the Bolognese School of painters. Life Domenichino was born in Bologna, son of a shoe ...

, and Nicolas Lorrain. The church is also the final resting place of Saint Victoria, whose preserved remains are on display inside.

Cornaro Chapel

The Cornaro Chapel is a private

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

commissioned by Federico Cornaro to Baroque sculptor

. Bernini lost papal patronage following the death of Pope

Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...

and his replacement by Pope

Innocent X Pope Innocent X (6 May 1574 – 7 January 1655), born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj (or Pamphili), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 September 1644 to his death, in January 1655. Born in Rome of a family fro ...

, who disliked his artistic style, which enabled his commissioning by private patrons at this accomplished stage in his career. The entire architectural and sculptural ensemble of the chapel was designed by Bernini. The

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

of the Cornaro Chapel, the ''Ecstasy of St. Teresa'', is among the most celebrated works of all of

Baroque sculpture Baroque sculpture is the sculpture associated with the Baroque style of the period between the early 17th and mid 18th centuries. In Baroque sculpture, groups of figures assumed new importance, and there was a dynamic movement and energy of human ...

, and widely considered one of Bernini's masterpieces. The statues depict a moment as described by Saint

Teresa of Avila Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; ) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or reap", or from θέ ...

in her autobiography, where she had the vivid vision of a

Seraph A seraph ( ; pl.: ) is a celestial or heavenly being originating in Ancient Judaism. The term plays a role in subsequent Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Tradition places seraphim in the highest rank in Christian angelology and in the fif ...

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 voluptuous trance. Although artistically a ''tour de force'', nonetheless, during Bernini's lifetime and in the centuries following, the ''Ecstasy of St. Teresa'' was accused by diverse critics for crossing a line of decency by sexualizing the visual depiction of the saint's experience, to a degree that no artist, before or after Bernini, dared to do: in depicting her at an impossibly young chronological age, as an idealized delicate beauty, in a semi-prostrate position with her mouth open and her legs splayed-apart, her wimple coming undone, with prominently displayed bare feet (Discalced Carmelites, for modesty, always wore sandals with heavy stockings) and with the seraph "undressing" her by (unnecessarily) parting her mantle to penetrate her heart with his arrow.

Titulus

Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome - Ceiling

Santa Maria della Vittoria was established as a

titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church () is a Churches in Rome, church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the Holy orders in the Catholic Church, clergy who is created a Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal. These are Catholic churches in ...

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...

on 23 December 1801. The following is a list of its

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. ...

s:David M. Cheyney, ''Catholic-Hierarchy:'
''S. Maria della Vittoria''
Retrieved: 2016-03-14. * Michelangelo Luchi (1801–1802) *

Joseph Fesch Joseph Cardinal Fesch, Prince of the Empire (3 January 1763 – 13 May 1839) was a French priest and diplomat, who was the maternal half-uncle of Napoleon Bonaparte (half-brother of Letizia Ramolino, Napoleon's mother Laetitia). In the wake of h ...

(1803–1822); ''

in commendam In canon law, commenda (or ''in commendam'') was a form of transferring an ecclesiastical benefice ''in trust'' to the ''custody'' of a patron. The phrase ''in commendam'' was originally applied to the provisional occupation of an ecclesiastica ...

'' (1822–1839) * Ferdinando Maria Pignatelli (1839–1853) * Adriano Fieschi (1853–1858) * Joseph Othmar von Rauscher (1858–1875) * Godefroy Brossais-Saint-Marc (1876–1878) * Louis-Edouard-François-Desiré Pie (1879–1880) * Luigi Jacobini (1880–1887) * Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau (1887–1898) * Giovanni Battista Casali del Drago (1899–1908) * François-Marie-Anatole de Rovérié de Cabrières (1911–1921) * Alexis-Armand Charost (1922–1930) * Angelo Maria Dolci (1933–1936) * Federico Tedeschini (1936–1951) *

Giuseppe Siri Giuseppe Siri (20 May 1906 – 2 May 1989) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Genoa from 1946 to 1987, and was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 1953. A protege of Pope Pius XII, he took part in the Seco ...

(1953–1989) *

Giuseppe Caprio Giuseppe Caprio (15 November 1914 – 15 October 2005), was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He held the post of President of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See before he retired in 1990. Caprio was b ...

(1990–2005) *

Seán Patrick O'Malley Seán Patrick O'Malley (born June 29, 1944) is an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Boston from 2003 to 2024. He has served as president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors since 2014. He is also a f ...

, OFM Cap (2006–incumbent) File:Santa maria della vittoria 07.JPG File:Cornaro SM della Vittoria.jpg File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg File:Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome - pipe organ HDR.jpg

References

Sources

* * * Sturm, Saverio (2015). ''L’architettura dei Carmelitani Scalzi in età barocca: La ‘Provincia Romana’. Lazio, Umbria e Marche (1597-1705).'' Roma: Gangemi Editore. * Hibbert, Howard (1965). ''Bernini''. New York: Pelican-Penguin. * Susanne Juliane Warma (1981). ''A Study of the Iconography of Bernini's Cornaro Chapel in Santa Maria Della Vittoria'' Athens: University of Georgia. * G. Matthiae (1965). ''S. Maria della Vittoria''. Rome. * Francesco Gui, Tomáš Parma, Andrea Trenta, eds. ''Santa Maria della Vittoria. Una testimonianza fondamentale della storia europea'' (3 vols.). Roma, Veat Tipografica, 2024. ISBN 978-88-99773-08-3

External links

Chris Nyborg, "Churches of Rome: Santa Maria della Vittoria"
* ttp://www.romecity.it/Santamariadellavittoria.htm "Santa Maria della Vittoria"(in Italian)
Roma SPQR: "Santa Maria della Vittoria"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santa Maria Della Vittoria Maria Vittoria Maria Vittoria Baroque architecture in Rome Roman Catholic churches completed in 1626 1626 establishments in Italy Maria Vittoria 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Carlo Maderno buildings