Santa Bibiana's Bernini


Santa Bibiana is a small Baroque style, Roman Catholic church in Rome devoted to Saint Bibiana, a Roman Virgin and Martyr.

The church is home to a statue of the saint, created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1626, his first public religious commission. It shows St. Bibiana holding the palm leaf of martyrs, standing next to the column to which she was to be martyred.

The sculpture has been in the news lately, after it's return from its first-ever loan to an exhibit, at Rome's famed Borghese Gallery, no less. The piece had only be moved once before, to protect it during assaults during World War II.

In the process of returning the statue to her niche in the church, the ring finger on her right hand snapped off. While the art movers were devastated, much has been made of the clean break; had the digit been pulverized, it would have difficult to repair. Alas, the art restorers have done their work, and the digit has been reattached.

If you've never seen a Bernini sculpture in person, then perhaps this is your opportunity. Normally free of museum-type crowds, you may find you are not alone in trying to spot the repaired digit. You probably can't, and it doesn't matter, because you will be in the presence of Bernini's truly stunning artistic talent. Don't be surprised if you fall under a spell.

There is more than the sculpture to see, however. The church's entire façade was designed and built by Gian Lorenzo Bernini when he was just 26 years old.

The church of Santa Bibiana is located in 154 via Giovanni Giolitti in Rome, adjacent to Termini Station and not far from the so-called "Temple of Minerva Medica".

Resources
The Risk of Moving Artworks: A Broken Finger and Public Outcry - New York Times
After a Bernini Sculpture Lost a Finger... - Artsy News
Turning marble into cushions and stone into flesh: the magic of Gian Lorenzo Bernini - The Spectator
The hidden, hard-to-find, and worth-it churches of Rome, at least 3 of them - Rome the Second Time

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