Database: Church, power and prestige

The Catholic Church was a major power in the troubled political context of the Renaissance, and the Pope himself was the influential ruler of the Pontifical/Papal States. In Rome and elsewhere, the wealthiest families competed to influence the Church. Members of the oligarchy joined the clergy to take control from inside. In the towns and villages, funding the local churches, offering donations and gifts, patronizing the best artists to elaborate and to adorn the religious buildings were also classic ways to achieve power and prestige.