Renovatio Christiana: The Counter Reformed Patronage Of Pope Sixtus V At The Holy Steps In Rome (1585-1590) - Softcover

During Pope Sixtus V’s reign at the end of the Roman Cinquecento (1585-1590), counter-reformed Rome underwent a significant transformation of its liturgy and of the way in which its religious monuments were approached by the faithful. The changes implemented by the pope affected the decoration of monuments on the various estates over which the Vatican has historically held dominion.

Renovatio Christiana is a scholarly study detailing the many building projects Pope Sixtus V carried out in order to provide clergy, residents, and pilgrims better access to Rome’s main basilicas and churches, as well as to grant the clergy new processional pathways across the major churches. It also emphasizes the relationship between patron and artists, showing how Pope Sixtus V reshaped the Holy Steps, for instance, from a private chapel exclusively for papal use to a stand-alone building open to anyone seeking penance.

A highly academic and original text, Renovatio Christiana is a thoroughly informative and insightful must-read for anyone looking for a more detailed history and understanding of Rome’s art during the late Italian Renaissance period.

Stefano Sandano is an Italian art historian who has been licensed by the Vatican and Rome as an official art guide for the last fifteen years. He holds a bachelor’s degree cum laude in arts and a master’s in art history from Hunter College.

After his graduation, Hunter College granted Sandano the Virginia Adams Award, a highly prestigious accolade recognizing his master’s thesis, Renovatio Christiana: The Counter Reformed Patronage of Sixtus V at the Holy Steps in Rome (1585-1590).

Sandano shares his award-winning thesis in a book of the same title, which offers a scholarly explanation of the relationship between patron and artists involved in the decoration of the Holy Steps that took place during Pope Sixtus V’s reign at the end of the Roman Cinquecento.