Tabernacle
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Authors
Orazio Torriani
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Keyword
Tabernacle , Ciborium , Reliquary , Tempietto , Sacrament , Consecrated Host
Alternative Title
Abstract
On the high altar of Sant’Agostino in Campo Marzio in Rome stands an elaborate marble tabernacle crafted from coloured marble, semi-precious stones, and gilded bronze. This tabernacle, shaped like a small tempietto, was designed by Orazio Torriani (1578–1657) around 1626, during the redesign of the high altar led by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680), Santi Ghetti (1589–1656), and other artists.
The attribution to Torriani is supported by a reference in a city guide written by Fioravante Martinelli (1599–1667), which noted that the commission passed to a friend of Santi Ghetti’s, likely Torriani, who had lived in Ghetti’s house. An inscription on the tabernacle reveals that it was commissioned and donated by Father Girolamo Ghetti, a general of the Augustinian order, at the same time as the construction of the altar.
The tempietto-shaped tabernacle features an octagonal gilded bronze base encrusted with polychrome marble and semi-precious stones, some of which were brought from the Americas by missionary Fathers. The corners bear the coat of arms of Father Ghetti. Inside the tympanum, within a projecting aedicule, is a small door for housing the Blessed Sacrament. The exterior niches hold silvered statuettes of saints. While documentation is scarce regarding those who contributed to its creation, it is recorded that Santi Ghetti supervised the final stages of its completion and reported progress to Father Ghetti.
The tabernacle in a church is a sacred container, typically placed on or near the altar, that houses the consecrated Eucharist (the wine and wafer that become the blood and body of Christ during the mass according to believers). According to believers, Christ is physically present in the Eucharist, and the tabernacle’s prominent placement emphasizes and celebrates this presence.
Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
Description
Sant'Agostino in Campo Marzio, Rome
Citation
Anna Maria Pedrocchi, "Giovan Lorenzo Bernini e Santi Ghetti: l'altare maggiore in Sant'Agostino a Roma, nuovi documenti e precisazioni," Bollettino d'arte, n. 133-134 (Luglio-dicembre 2005), pp. 115-126.