 This is the part of Maderno's design with which he was most satisfied.Its long barrel vault is decorated with ornate stucco and gilt, and successfully illuminated by small windows between pendentives, while the ornate marble floor is beamed with light reflected in from the piazza.At each end of the narthex is a theatrical space framed by ionic columns and within each is set a statue, an equestrian figure of Charlemagne (18th century) by Cornacchini in the south end and "The Vision of Constantine" (1670) by Bernini in the north end.