Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria

Located at the intersection of via XX Settembre and largo di Santa Susanna, the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria represents one of the most important examples of the Baroque period in Rome.The project was entrusted to the architect Carlo Maderno who built it between 1608 and 1620. Established first as a chapel dedicated to San Paolo by the Discalced Carmelites, it owes its title to the victory of the Catholic army against the Bohemians in the battle of the White Mountain, near Prague, 8 November 1620. At a critical moment in the battle, Father Domenico di Gesù and Maria, army chaplain, intervened in the fight. Hanging from his neck, he had an image representing Mary in adoration of the Child. Rays of light were seen coming out of the portrait that dazzled their opponents, forcing them to flee. On May 8, 1622, the miraculous image was transported to the church, which has since been dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The travertine facade was built in 1626 to a design by Giovan Battista Soria and at the expense of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, in exchange for the statue of the Sleeping Hermaphrodite, found in 1608 during the excavation of the church's foundations. The interior, with a Latin cross layout, has a single nave with a barrel vault and three chapels on each side. For the decorations, Maderno studied a simple style adopted by the Reformation in the other churches of the Order.But the victory of the White Mountain totally changed its fate. Maderno, then, thanks to the numerous offers from all the courts of Europe eager to celebrate the victory, adorned it with white and gilded stuccos in full Baroque style. The paintings of the vault and dome were made by Giandomenico Cerrini, that of the apse by Luigi Serra. The chapels, surrounded by arches decorated with marble, angels, and cherubs, are separated by pillars with golden Corinthian capitals. The noble families who desired it were granted patronage over the chapels, provided that each family decorated them richly, to conform to the style of the church. The result was the creation of magnificent art treasure chests. Among the chapels, that of Cardinal Federico Cornaro family was commissioned to the great sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini who endowed it with the well-known sculptural group depicting The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa d'Avila.The sculpture, in marble and gilded bronze, was made between 1647 and 1652. It represents a moment in the life of Santa Teresa d'Avila. In her autobiography, the Saint tells the moment when she had the vivid vision of an Angel piercing her heart with a golden arrow, causing immense joy but, at the same time, a great pain.Even today, this artwork enchants people for the scenic construction that sees the saint suspended in the center of a very white and soft cloud. On the sides of the sculpture, the members of the family who own the chapel observe the scene comfortably seated inside noble stages as if they were in a theater.In the church, there are also works by Guercino, Nicolas Lorrain, and Domenichino.

Any church I enter I feel peace as I grew up in a Catholic school run by Loreto Irish nuns in Darjeeling . I feel deep wish to pray never for myself but my first line is World Peace. The history related to this church.. St. Teresa, St. Joseph is all written here. A must visit to light candles & pray for inner peace & strength.

A must-visit for all art lovers, Santa Maria della Vittoria is one of few churches in Rome where people can see works of Bernini for free. The church is lavishly adorned with gilded elements, statues and paintings. Unfortunately, during my visit, I couldn’t admire it in its full glory as there was ongoing restoration work of the ceiling. Hopefully, I would see it again someday.

Small but beautiful church near Termini train station that is an oasis of calm in this bustling city. Bernini’s “The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa” is beautiful and moving sculpture but the rest of the church is so lovely as well. There is no entrance fee, but if there is a mass, the visitation is restricted.

Peaceful, beautiful sanctuary. The town is picturesque and the people very helpful and nice

The church is amazing but the visit has it’s peak in Berninis masterpiece Saint Theresa’s ecstasy. Not a common choice but you won’t regret it. After that, you can have dinner in one of the many restaurants in Monti area

Santa Maria della Vittoria is a small church with overwhelming beauty a place that surprises you with its richness the moment you step inside. The air feels heavy with incense gold and silence. The main draw is Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Teresa a sculpture so full of movement and emotion it feels alive. Light falls perfectly onto her face like the divine is still watching. Though the space is compact every detail glows with care and devotion. It is quiet dramatic and deeply intimate like stepping into a private moment of heaven. A hidden gem that lingers in your mind long after you leave.

The 17th century church is in baroque style with a single nave. What I liked about this church was that it was the vault ceiling with amazing frescoes and an icon of Madonna in Bohemia, which is on the top altar. It has three beautiful chapels on each side.

So how we reached here, that's an interesting story. Our flight got canceled and we reached the next day in Rome at 430 PM at ROMA Termini. We just thrown our luggage at the Airbnb and literally ran for this church cause closing time was 5 PM. we reached at 4:55 PM and managed to get inside and why I did this? My wife made me do this, she is so fond of history and so wanted to see Ecstasy of St. Teresa statue (apart from Pieta in the Vatican) Well, it's very famous now thanks to Robert Langdon aka Dan Brown's "Angels & Demons". But this is most famous for Ecstasy of St. Teresa statue by Lorenzo Bernini Outside, it won't look very impressive, but its interior is extravagantly decorated. Since there is very little natural light inside the church, it is filled with candles, which create a very special atmosphere. One of the most notable parts of the church is the Cornaro Chapel that houses the "Ecstasy of Saint Teresa", a sculpture by Bernini. It is nothing short of stunning, and the detail of Bernini's Ecstasy of Saint Teresa is truly incredible. see, it won't take more than 30 minutes so I would definitely recommend this to include in your itinerary. it's free. You can donate at the gate though.

I wish it hadn't been under construction when I visited because that made me a major sadface! I really wanted to see what the outer facade looked like. I probably would have liked it more had it not been in renovations. There's actually a pretty large number of tourists who come here, most likely due to the church's "appearance" in The Da Vinci Code (technically it didn't really appear in the movie because they created a set for it, but I digress). Though I had seen the movie, I came here not because of the movie but because I'm a major art nerd and this church has one of the most famous statues by Giovanni Bernini, "The Ecstasy of St. Teresa." This church is pretty amazing though, a lot of detail and thought went into the building and it's definitely one of the better kept churches in Rome. Maybe due to its recent popularity, there's more donations perhaps? Definitely will be back to see it when it's out of renovations!

We visited Santa Maria Della Vitorria on our last full day in Rome. I'm glad we went and didn't miss it as this cathedral is another beauty. As with quite a few of the other cathedrals / basilicas it doesn't look that impressive from the exterior. Once inside however, it is very impressive for sure. Santa Maria Della Vitorria is located close to Piazza di San Bernardo and Piazza della Repubblica is very walk able from either place. This is another great cathedral to see in Rome.

Love this church -- absolutely GORGEOUS on the interior!! Especially Bernini's "St Theresa in Ecstasy" sculpture. You can pay .50 to basically turn on a little sky light that shines sun beams on the sculpture. So cool... The whole church is so gorgeous inside.... it's somewhat overwhelming how beautiful it is on the inside. You wouldn't have guessed from the outside. But there are plenty of little candle offering areas you can contribute. When you go, be sure to bring your camera... and look up! The ceiling paintings are gorgeous too.

A wonderful small church. The Bernini is of course fantastic. Attended Mass, in Italian! and was able to meet with the priest after the service

The Ecstasy of Teresa is a very unique carving by Bernini. We happened to visit when a local scholar was giving an explanation on it to a Canadian group. It was worth the explanation. Definitely worth seeing.