About this item
By 1650, the spiritual and political power of the Catholic Church was shattered. Thanks to the twin blows of the Protestant Reformation and the Thirty Years War, Rome - celebrated both as the Eternal City and Caput Mundi (the head of the world) - had lost its preeminent place in Europe. Then a new Pope, Alexander VII, fired with religious zeal, political guile, and a mania for creating new architecture, determined to restore the prestige of his church by making Rome the key destination for Europe's intellectual, political, and cultural elite. To help him do so, he enlisted the talents of Gianlorenzo Bernini, already celebrated as the most important living artist - no mean feat in the age of Rubens, Rembrandt, and Velazquez.
About the Author
Loyd Daniel Gilman Grossman, OBE, FSA (born 16 September 1950) is an American-British television presenter, gastronome and musician who has mainly worked in the United Kingdom. He is currently a judge on ITV Food series Food Glorious Food. Grossman was born in Marblehead, Massachusetts on 16 September 1950, the son of David K. Grossman and Helen Katherine (née Gilman) . His father was Jewish and worked as an antiques dealer. His initial education was at the General John Glover School in Marblehead, and then at Marblehead High School. He graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history before going to the United Kingdom in 1975 to study at the London School of Economics where he received a Masters in economic history.
