Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ecstasy-of-saint-teresa

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Ecstasy of Saint Teresa built?1652
2. What is the location?Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria church, Rome, Italy
3. What is the artist?Gian Lorenzo Bernini
4. Who was Saint Teresa of Ávila and why did she have a vision?Saint Teresa was a Spanish nun who wrote about a vision where an angel pierced her heart with a golden spear, which meant God's love and made her feel very happy.
5. How did Bernini show the angel and the spear in the sculpture?Bernini carved the angel with a gentle face, holding a golden spear that shows it touching Teresa’s heart, and made the spear look like it is gently piercing her soul.

Mysticism: The pursuit of spiritual truth and union with the divine through direct experience and intuition.
Aedicule: A small architectural frame, often surrounding a niche or a statue, resembling a miniature temple.
Counter-Reformation: The period of Catholic resurgence initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation, characterized by artistic and theological renewal.