human levitation

bernini's st. teresa of avila

Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, (March 28, 1515 – October 4, 1582) was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic  saint, Carmelite nun.

She was seen to levitate in Mass  as  her whole body was raised from the ground. If she felt God was going to levitate her body, she stretched out on the floor and called the nuns to sit on her and hold her down.

Her written accounts of such an experience was the motivation for Bernini. Later in life the sculptor would pray devoutly before his work which is to be found in the Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome.