GIAN LORENZO BERNINI

written by Paul Gwynne for © Nerone the Insider's Guide to Rome

 

On 28 November 1680 Gian Lorenzo Bernini died at the age of 81. A simple plaque in the floor of Santa Maria Maggiore to the right of the high altar marks his final resting place. While the crowds flock to see the more famous pieces by this remarkable artist in the Villa Borghese, there are,however, a number of sites around the city which contain works not usually visited by the public. I would suggest a hour in the Church of Santa Bibiana. This was Bernini's first architectural commission when he was asked by the Barberini Pope Urban VIII to remodel the ancient basilica for the jubilee of 1625.    The twenty-seven year-old artist not only remade the facade but also added a free standing statue of the fourth-century martyr, which now stands framed by an impressive columnar aedicula over the high altar. The saint stands at the moment of her martyrdom leaning against the column at which she was flogged to death with leaded cords in an attitude of pious resignation. This is quite unlike the images of religious ecstacy which appear later in Bernini's career. (A remarkable series of frescoes by Pietro da Cortona down the nave tell the story of the saint for those interested in the gruesome details). While Santa Bibiana is the first of Bernini's religious commissions, the beautiful oval chapel of the Jesuit seminary of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale is one of the last works undertaken by this diverse talent. It was begun in 1658 by Cardinal Pamphilij and took twenty years to build. The site was insufficient for a large building and Bernini resolved the problem by planning an oval with the entrance and the high altar on the short axis. Bernini himself valued this church above all his creations. His son records that it was his father's favourite church, and indeed it was here that the aged Bernini retired for mass twice a day towards the end of his life. The exuberance of the putti playing among the swags of fruit around the cupola is well worth a visit. Be sure to visit the upstairs room where Saint Stanislaus Kostka died on 15 August 1568. The saint's feast day is 6 November.    The polychrome statue of the young Polish saint by Pierre Legros the younger (1666-1719) was inspired by Bernini's famous Ecstacy of Saint Teresa made for the Cornaro Chapel in the near-by church of Santa Maria della Vittoria between 1645-1652. While everyone visits the Villa Borghese for the famous pieces from Bernini's early years it should be remembered that the sculptor was also a gifted painter. The painting gallery now housed at San Michele in Trastevere has two fine self-portraits of the artist in youth and early middle age. Just down the road there is the church of San Francesco a Ripa whichcontains a less well known image. Here we see the artist's development from the patient endurance of Saint Bibiana through the religious ecstacy of Saint Teresa refined into the swooning enlightenment of the Blessed Ludovica Albertoni (1674). Concealed top lighting, as in the Cornaro Chapel, enhances the effect of the devotional image. Each of these pieces by Bernini can be visited free of charge. So too can the wonders of Saint Peter's. Although the Basilica was almost completed by the time of Bernini's maturity he has left an indelible mark on the interior decoration by the addition of the imposing gilt bronze Baldacchino (1624-33) and the monumental encasement for the Cathedra Petri (tha chair of Saint Peter) designed and cast between 1657 and 1666. Although completed at different points in Bernini's carreer the two objects are complementary and designed to be seen in conjunction, the Baldacchino acting as a kind of sight or view-finder to focus the visitor's attention within the massive space of the church of Saint Peter, who is simbolically present in the empty throne in the apse. Before leaving don't miss the imposing tomb of Pope Alexander VII, strangely located over the doorway to the sacresty (1671-1678), the last of Bernini's great works.