Mater Admirabilis, Fresco painting in Trinità dei Monti monastery, Rome, Italy

Mater Admirabilis is a fresco on the south side of the upper cloister of the Trinità dei Monti convent in Rome, set slightly recessed in an arch. It shows the Virgin Mary as a seated adolescent in a rose-colored dress, eyes lowered, within a loggia open onto a landscape. At her right stands a vase of seven lilies; at her left, a basket of books and a spindle.

The fresco was created in 1844 by French artist Pauline Perdrau while she served as a postulant in the Society of the Sacred Heart. The work emerged during a period when the monastery was known for supporting artistic and religious expression.

The name comes from Pius IX's exclamation before the fresco on 20 October 1846; he then allowed the corridor to be turned into a chapel. Madeleine Sophie Barat, founder of the Society of the Sacred Heart, had copies placed in its schools, and Mater Admirabilis became patroness of their students. The chapel walls hold ex votos and the vault is painted blue with applied gold stars.

The fresco sits in a chapel formed from the south side of the upper cloister of Trinità dei Monti, at the top of the Spanish Steps. The convent is still run by the Society of the Sacred Heart, so the chapel is a working religious space; visitors should dress and behave accordingly and keep voices low while sisters or students are present.

The fresco's colors transformed naturally from harsh tones to soft pink and ivory hues while drying behind a curtain. This unintended shift during the drying process gave the painting its characteristic delicate appearance.