Rome in the Age of the Baroque: City of Spectacle and Power

In the Age of the Baroque, Rome emerged as a dazzling stage for artistic, architectural, and religious transformation, fueled by the ambitions of the Catholic Church and its ruling popes. The city became a theatrical expression of power and faith, designed to awe and inspire. Monumental projects, such as Bernini’s colonnades at St. Peter’s Square, Borromini’s dynamic church façades, and Caravaggio’s dramatic chiaroscuro paintings, infused the city with a sense of movement, emotion, and grandeur. The papacy, particularly under Urban VIII, Innocent X, and Alexander VII, used Baroque art as a tool of the Counter-Reformation, reinforcing Catholic dominance through opulent churches, triumphal fountains, and grand processions. Rome was no longer just the seat of religious authority—it became a spectacle of light, illusion, and theatricality, a city where art and power merged to shape the very fabric of urban life.