The cultural policy of the Counter‐Reformation: the case of St. Peter’s

Abstract

The Counter‐Reformation, or Catholic Renewal, provides an important example of how the arts – especially architecture, painting, and sculpture – were mobilized to serve the religious mission of the embattled Catholic Church. Mobilization is an apt word to describe the concerted effort to put artistic expression in tandem with theological belief. As an emotional stimulus for piety, religious imagery in support of doctrinal orthodoxy was welcome. The Council of Trent decreed that through works of art the faithful could be instructed in the articles of faith. This aesthetic ideology required the creation of images that would strengthen their beliefs and guide their emotions. Art was to have a pedagogical purpose by representing sacred doctrine and the Church’s aesthetic imprimatur was a necessary guarantee of doctrinal correctness. As such, counter‐reformatory aesthetics were a complement to the more general aspirations of the Catholic Renewal.

Keywords:

• Counter‐Reformation
• Baroque
• Catholic Church