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Noli Me Tangere

Noli Me Tangere is a large sculptural group located in the Alaleona Chapel of the church of Santi Domenico e Sisto in Rome. The chapel’s architectural framework was designed by the Italian artist Gianlorenzo Bernini, known as Le Bernin, and the sculpture itself was also designed by him. It shows Jesus responding to Mary Magdalene with the words “Do not touch me” when she recognizes him after his resurrection. The work was executed by Bernini’s pupil Antonio Raggi, probably between 1649 and 1652. The chapel was commissioned by Sister Maria Eleonora Alaleona, likely as an act of penance in connection with a family incident in 1636.

Noli Me Tangere sculpture showing a robed figure with an upraised hand facing a kneeling figure reaching out, set before a painted backdrop and framed by ornate columns.
Noli Me Tangere sculptural group with a standing robed figure and a kneeling figure in a chapel setting.
June 2019 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Noli Me Tangere marble sculptural group with a standing man and kneeling woman beneath cherubs and golden rays
Noli Me Tangere, shown as a marble relief with the standing Christ and kneeling Mary Magdalene beneath decorative cherubs and rays of light.
June 2019 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Noli Me Tangere marble sculpture of a cloaked man recoiling from a kneeling woman inside an ornate church interior.
Noli Me Tangere marble group in an ornate church setting, with cherubic reliefs and red marble columns framing the scene.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TypeLarge sculptural arrangement
TitleNoli Me Tangere

Historical context

Commission date1636
Commissioned bySister Maria Eleonora Alaleona
Purpose of commissionProbably an act of penance for the behavior of an unknown relative of Sister Maria Eleonora Alaleona
Related anecdoteA nun is said to have tried to smuggle a lover into her convent, and he suffocated to death in the chest where he was hidden

Creator

Date of executionProbably between 1649 and 1652
CompletionFinished by Antonio Raggi
MakerAntonio Raggi, Bernini's pupil
DesignerGian Lorenzo Bernini

Iconography and meaning

SubjectJesus telling Mary Magdalene 'Do not touch me' after she recognizes him following the Resurrection
Biblical themeThe Resurrection

Location and ownership

LocationAlaleona Chapel, Santi Domenico e Sisto church, Rome, Italy
Chapel architectural designDesigned by Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Related drawingA pen and watercolor drawing of the sculpture's overall design is held in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence

History and restoration

Design interpretationThe related drawing suggests that some alterations may have been made by Raggi to the sculptural group

Discovery and provenance

Donation amount3,000 Roman scudi
Approximate contemporary value of donationAbout US$120,000