Rome and Baroque art
In the seventeenth century, the city of Rome became the consummate statement of Catholic majesty and triumph expressed in all the arts. Baroque architects, artists, and urban planners so magnified and invigorated the classical and ecclesiastical traditions of the city that it became for centuries.Although Rome gained in magnificent buildings and monuments during the Renaissance.To remedy this situation, Pope Sixtus V (Felice Peretti, r. 1585–90) promoted his vision of "Roma in forma sideris," that is, Rome in the shape of a star. He engaged Domenico Fontana (1543–1607,today the papacy controls only the small zone known as Vatican City, but its domain in former times was not so restricted, and papal patronage transformed the entire city. Three energetic popes, Urban VIII (Maffeo Barberini, r. 1623–44), Innocent X (G. B. Pamphilj, r. 1644–55), and Alexander VII (Fabio Chigi, r. 1655–67), charged the versatile talents of Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680), Francesco Borromini (1599–1667), and Pietro da Cortona (1596–1669)