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San Francesco a Ripa
This Trastevere church contains one of the raciest religious sculptures in the world, Bernini's Beata Ludovica in Ecstasy
Piazza San Francesco d'Assisi 88, Via San Francesco a Ripa, Roma
tel. +39-06-581-9020
Open daily 7am–noon and 4–7:30pm
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Bernini's Beata Ludovica in Ecstasy (1671–74). (Photo by Torvindus)Bernini really had a thing for women in quite visceral states of religious ecstasy (see Santa Maria in Vittoria). The baroque master carved such a scene for this Trastevere church where St. Francis himself once stayed as a guest.
This time it's 
Bernini's Beata Ludovica in Ecstasy, whose reclining on a couch and looking like the brand of ecstasy she is experiencing is a very earthy one indeed.
(Hey, I'm not trying to be blasphemous here; it really does look that way—and I'm far from the first person to notice. This sculpture has been seen by many to be scandalous since the day it was unveiled.)
Tips
- Planning your day: I'd plan to spend at least 45–60 minutes here, possibly a bit longer if you're into this kind of thing. There's just so much to see, contemplate, sketch, etc—and so many nooks, crannies, and levels to discover.
- Go on a sunny day: Try to visit when it's sunny and the natural light pouring in from a half-hidden window helps make the scene really come alive.
- Mass: You can attend services at San Francesco a Ripa daily at 7:30am, 9am, and 6:30pm, plus Sundays at 10am, 11am, and noon.
Related pages
- Santa Maria in Vittoria (contains another Bernini with a similarly racy ecstasy)
- All the Berninis in Rome
- More sights in Trastevere
- Sights on the nearby Aventine Hill
- Churches in Rome
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This material was last updated February 2011. All information was accurate at the time.
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