The miraculous recovery of the body of the martyr on the 2nd March, 1624, obliged, in view of the
Holy Year, the radical restoration financed by Urban VIII, who wanted to give the
little church, which was then isolated by the urban setting, a new
facade. In the weII-constructed architectonic elevation with projecting
central body, three-arched porch and deep upper
gallery, Bernini supplied an original interpretation
of the ancient buildings of early Christian worship. The altarpieces of the
saints Demetria and Dafrosa and the frescoes in the church are by the Florentine, Agostino Ciampelli, and the younger Pietro da Cortona. The
church was consecrated after the transfer of the reliquaries on the l4th
November, 1626.
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The statue of Santa Bib iana was
commissioned by Urban VIII and sculptured for 600 scudi between 1624 and 1626. The slender figure in soft
drapery which reminds us of the severe classic elegance, stands in the deep niche in the al tar-aedicule, which was also designed by
Bernini.
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The saint is depicted after having suffered martyrdom by whipping, and its cre ation
repeats the virtuosity of the Iast Borghese groups, particularly in the
symbolical laurel branches on the plinth which sources at tribute to the exceptional expertise of
Finelli. |
