The battle against Protestantism would embellish Rome itself. The popes launched a new and exhilarating war of culture. They championed an artistic movement to project a new-found intensity of passion and ecstasy of revelation. This new art was personified by one man. Gian Lorenzo Bernini was the master of baroque art. Impulsive and emotional, when he found his mistress was having an affair with his brother, he beat his brother up with a crowbar and had her permanently scarred with a razor blade. But Bernini was adored by Pope Urban VIII, who told him, "You're lucky to have me as Pope, but I'm even luckier to have you." Their partnership was responsible for much of what we see in Rome today. Bernini, in many ways, is to the 17th century what Michelangelo had been in the 16th century, and he certainly was the best interpreter of the wishes of the popes. Art historian Alexandra Massini has brought me to see the sculpture that Bernini considered his masterpiece.


这场对抗新教的战役将给罗马本身增光添色。教皇们发起了一场全新、奋进的文化战争。他们倡导的运动是，把人们对神启重新燃起的激情和狂热用艺术形式来表达。这种新的艺术有个典型的代表人物。贝尔尼尼是巴洛克艺术殿堂级的大师。当他发现自己情妇跟弟弟的外遇时，冲动得失去了理智，抡起铁棍对着弟弟就是一顿痛殴；之后用刀片在情妇脸上（原文没说是脸上还是身上）留下永久的疤痕。贝尔尼尼很受教皇乌尔班八世器重，后者对他说，“有我在教皇的位置上，你很幸运；但我才是更幸运的，因为我有你。”正是他们两人齐心协力，才有了我们今天所看到的罗马。 可以说米开朗琪罗在16世纪所成就的，其中诸多方面，贝尼尼在17世纪也达到了同样的高度；他无疑是教皇们的意愿最好的诠释者。 艺术历史学家亚历山德拉·马希尼带我来欣赏这座贝尔尼尼认为是自己代表作的雕塑。