name of church in Rome that has a particular statue

Sounds like the Venus Victorious by Canova, but that's at the Borghese Gallery, not in a church. The one you're describing sounds too scandalous for a church.

There's a similar statue in a small church in Naples, but it's not a woman. It's Christ after he died and was draped with a sheer blanket. A truly remarkable piece of carving.

It certainly could be the Canova sculpture of Pauline Bonaparte at the Borghese Gallery , but the issue there is that she is not fully reclined . The other possibility is the Bernini " St Theresa in Ecstasy " at Santa Maria della Vittoria , Rome , but while she is reclined , and obviously in the throes of orgasm , her clothing generally obscures the details of her flesh . Quite a puzzle , this . Look at them both , and please let us know . One other possibility is the Bernini " Blessed Ludovica Albertoni " in San Francesco a Ripa , also in Rome

Is it this one?

http://historylink101.com/2/italy/statues-1.htm

the second photo.

If so, that's at the Borghese gallery.

Donna

You may be thinking of the sculpture, Martyrdom of Saint Cecilia in Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. The body is reclining, covered in drapery, and her head is turned away from the viewer. You can google Santa Cecilia in Trastevere and images will come up.

Zoe , By George , I think you've got it !!

Steven, the OP says "reclining" not "fully reclined."

That and "covered in a drape that was so sheer that you could see every detail of her clothing and body" does not sound like Santa Cecilia to me. And she's hardly reclining - she's lying down dead on her side with her head turned behind her. It will be interesting to see if the OP returns to shed more light.

Considering that the OP's description was somewhat vague , I certainly don't have a definitive answer , just the best educated guesses , I could make . The clothing on the Saint Cecilia seems , at this juncture , to be a reasonably likely bet . Guess we will have to wait and , hopefully see .

Thanks everyone for trying to help. I realize that I wasn't too clear in my description. The statue was of a woman laying flat on her back with a shroud covering her entire body and face. The shroud was sheer so you could see her clothing (fully clothed) and contours of her body. I was just stuck by the sheer artistry of the sculptor. If I don't find it, there will be so many other beautiful things to admire. Either way, the trip will be memorable.

schesnu ,Thanks , this helps to begin to answer the mystery . From your description , it seems to be none of the above . My curiosity has ( as always ) got the better of me , I'll keep looking .

The only sculpture I can think of that resembles what you describe is Sanmartino's "Veiled Christ", but it's not a woman and it's not in Rome, it's in the Sansevero chapel in Naples. You can see it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veiled_Christ.

I hope you find the one you're looking for.

Thanks, Nancy. I will admit this looks a lot like what I have in my memory. I've been to Naples but I don't believe I saw this, too bad. I enjoyed the picture.

it does indeed Sound like the Veiled Christ, which is featured by Rick in his show about Naples.

I'm with Zoe. We saw it a couple of years ago and the church was being restored: however, you could still see the statue through a window in a door. The restoration may be completed by now, but this being Rome, I wouldn't bet on it.

I, too, thought it was the veiled Christ but the schesnu said it was a woman so I figured I was mistaken.

Donna

I will participate in the statue scavenger hunt this summer in Rome - anyone care to join?

I'll take a shot at this - Santa Maria Delle Victoria. The famous statue of St. Therese by Bernini. It's a short walk north of Rome Termini train station. There's also a metro stop close by. You can google this to see if this is the statue you are looking for.

Barb, that was already suggested. But thanks for playing. :-)

I also think it is "The Veiled Christ" in Naples.
You can see all these statues online - via Google. - a visual might help you recognize the statue.

It appears , that there is a broad consensus that the sculpture is " The Veiled Christ " . But the OP says this is a woman . Can the OP be certain of that ? Perhaps the OP is not accurate on that count ?

I haven't seen it in person, but if someone had showed me the veiled Christ picture I would have described it as a woman lying on her back etc etc.

Janet, I agree with you. That's why I thought of that one in the first place. It does look like a woman.