The Blessed Lodovica Albertoni 1674

In the Roman church of San Francesco a Ripa, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the great sculptor of the Roman Baroque, created “The Blessed Lodovica Albertoni.” Bernini created this marble sculpture at a time when the Catholic Church was still trying to assert its authority in the face of the Protestant Reformation. The dramatic style of the Baroque was ideally suited for this purpose. It also came at a time when the Catholic church was beginning to acknowledge and celebrate the spiritual experiences of women, particularly those of mystics and nuns. In this context, Bernini's sculpture becomes more than just a depiction of a saint. It's a carefully crafted image designed to evoke a sense of religious ecstasy in the viewer. We can research more about the Baroque through studies of the Counter-Reformation and other period documents. Only in that way can we come to appreciate its wider cultural significance.