Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini, The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa, 1647-1652, Santa Maria della Vittoria alter piece, Rome
"Beside
me on the left appeared an angel in bodily form . . . He was not tall
but short, and very beautiful; and his face was so aflame that he
appeared to be one of the highest ranks of angels, who seem to be all on
fire . . . In his hands I saw a great golden spear, and at the iron tip
there appeared to be a point of fire. This he plunged into my heart
several times so that it penetrated my entrails. When he pulled it out I
felt that he took them with it, and left me utterly consumed by the
great love of God. The pain was so severe that it made me utter several
moans. The sweetness caused by this intense pain is so extreme that one
can not possibly wish it to cease, nor is one’s soul content with
anything but God. This is not a physical but a spiritual pain, though
the body has some share in it — even a considerable share." [Teresa
of Avila, Autobiography, Chapter 29]
Although Bernini's sublime masterpiece in marble precisely expresses the details of St. Theresa's vision, he was criticized for its apparent sexuality by those who fail to comprehend the inner vocabulary of mystical love.
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