In the seventeenth century, Rome earned the title “the Great Theater of the World.” Art became a tool of power—designed to astonish, to move the soul, and to leave an indelible mark. It aimed both to inspire faith among the common people and to display the Pope’s authority and grandeur to ambassadors, politicians, and travelers. This was the era of the “Grand Tour,” when the sons of wealthy European families journeyed to Rome and Italy to study antiquity. Movement, expressive force, and wonder are the hallmarks of the Baroque art that transformed Rome’s churches and palaces after the Counter-Reformation.