On June 11, The American University of Rome will host a public lecture by art historian Dr. Fabio Barry titledThe Interior Castle and the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. This event invites attendees to explore the intersection of mysticism, architecture, and the visual representation of spiritual ecstasy, linking the writings of Saint Teresa of Ávila to the sculptural and architectural innovations of the Baroque period.
The Interior Castle: A Journey Through the Soul
Written in 1577, The Interior Castle is one of Saint Teresa of Ávila’s most significant spiritual works. Inspired by a vision, the book presents the soul as a crystal castle composed of seven concentric mansions, each representing a stage on the journey toward union with God. Drawing from her experiences of mystical prayer and divine ecstasy, Teresa outlines a deeply introspective path - one in which the spiritual aspirant must pass through trials of humility, self-knowledge, and surrender to reach the innermost chamber: the place of divine union.
The Interior Castle is more than devotional literature; it is a sophisticated psychological and theological map that has inspired generations of thinkers, artists, and mystics. Its metaphorical architecture provided fertile ground for Baroque artists seeking to express ineffable spiritual states through physical form.
Linking Vision and Stone: Fabio Barry’s Lecture
Dr. Fabio Barry will explore how Saint Teresa’s mystical visions, particularly those recorded in The Interior Castle, influenced or paralleled the visual representation of ecstasy in Baroque art, most famously Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Teresa in Rome’s Santa Maria della Vittoria. How did artists render the invisible? How did architecture and sculpture attempt to make tangible the transcendental states Teresa described?
Central to this discussion is the Cornaro Chapel, where Bernini's sculptural masterpiece resides. The chapel, commissioned by Cardinal Federico Cornaro, is a quintessential example of Baroque artistry, blending architecture, sculpture, and light to create a theatrical representation of divine experience. Bernini's design captures the moment of Teresa's spiritual ecstasy with dynamic movement and dramatic lighting, inviting viewers into a profound contemplation of the divine.
About Saint Teresa of Ávila
Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582), also known as Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Spanish Carmelite nun, mystic, and reformer of the Carmelite Order. Canonized in 1622 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1970, she remains one of the most influential spiritual figures in Christian history. Her works, including The Interior Castle and The Way of Perfection, offer deep insight into contemplative prayer, divine union, and the soul’s progression toward God. Her vivid accounts of ecstasy challenged traditional religious authority and reshaped spiritual discourse in the Counter-Reformation era.
About Fabio Barry
Fabio Barry studied architecture at the University of Cambridge (MA, Dip Arch) and practiced briefly before completing a Ph.D. in art history at Columbia University. He is currently research fellow at the Warburg Institute, University of London, having previously taught in the Art History departments at Stanford University and the University of St. Andrews. His scholarship focuses on Roman art and architecture - especially of the Baroque period - while also encompassing the ancient, medieval and Renaissance inheritance.
Barry’s research explores how artists and architects evoked the divine through materiality, with a particular interest in marble’s symbolic and sensual power across centuries. His widely acclaimed article “Walking on Water: Cosmic Floors in Antiquity and the Middle Ages” earned the 2008 Arthur Kingsley Porter Prize. He has been a Fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts and the Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America.
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Admission is free and open to the public.
Location: The American University of Rome, Via Pietro Roselli, 4
Date & Time: June 11, 7:00 PM
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Join us for this rare opportunity to journey through mysticism, art, and architecture guided by one of the world’s foremost scholars of sacred space.
Register your attendance at forthcoming AUR events