Cornaro chapel, Baroque chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome, Italy
The Cornaro Chapel is a Baroque structure within the church Santa Maria della Vittoria, bounded by a semicircular wall decorated with marble and gilded elements. The space is defined by its theatrically arranged interior, where sculptures and decorative details form a dramatic composition.
Cardinal Federico Cornaro commissioned Gian Lorenzo Bernini to design this burial chapel, completed in 1652. The chapel emerged as a response to Baroque artistic and religious ideals and became an example of Bernini's revolutionary approach to space and light.
The chapel displays Bernini's marble sculpture of Saint Teresa of Avila experiencing a spiritual encounter with an angel. Visitors can directly witness this moment of intense religious experience captured in stone and gold.
The chapel is located in the left transept of the church and is easy to find when entering the main spaces. The best time to visit is early morning or late afternoon when there are fewer visitors and lighting is optimal.
Hidden windows above the central altar direct natural light onto the marble group, creating a radiant effect that resembles heavenly rays. This subtle lighting system was Bernini's innovation to enhance the emotional impact of the sculpture.
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