The ambition was boundless, the vision splendid. The popes would stop at nothing to make Rome the most holy city on Earth, a new Jerusalem. But the men leading the mission would be far from saintly. The Renaissance popes saw no contradiction between their sacred role, cut-throat politics, and the pursuit of wealth and pleasure. There was one pope who personifies this merciless magnificence like no other. This is the Castel Sant'Angelo, the fortress, prison and torture chamber of the papacy, and up there is the family crest of Pope Alexander VI. But if you look closely, you'll see that it's been totally vandalised. And this is because Alexander VI was a member of the most notorious family in the entire history of the papacy, the Borgias. The Borgia Pope was the nephew of the Spanish Pope Callixtus III, who raised him to Cardinal. A brilliantly cunning and effective politician, as Pope, he was ruthlessly effective in promoting papal power.


欲望无穷无尽，愿景十分宏大。教皇们不惜一切代价，就为让罗马成为世上最神圣的城市、成为“新耶路撒冷”。但是这一使命的领头人远远算不上“圣人”。文艺复兴时期的教皇们认为，他们的神职、血腥的政坛以及追求财富享乐，这之间毫不冲突。有一位教皇将这种无情冷酷演绎到了极致，其程度无人能及。 这里是圣安格鲁城堡(The Castel Sant' Angelo)，曾是教皇的堡垒、监牢以及酷刑室。那头上方是教皇亚历山大六世的家徽。仔细观察，你会发现这枚家徽已经完全被毁坏了。这是因为，整个教皇世系中最为臭名昭著的是波吉亚家族，而亚历山大六世正是该家族的成员。 这位波吉亚家族的教皇是西班牙教皇卡利特斯三世的侄儿，后者把他扶上红衣主教的位置。工于心计、政绩斐然，教皇亚历山大六世在推行教皇权力方面可谓是“为达目的，不择手段”。