Chiesa Nuova

The Counter Reformation was very much about tit for tat. If the emerging Protestant church did one thing, the Catholic church did the exact opposite, thus creating a clear divide. Chiesa Nuova, formally known as Santa Maria in Vallicella, is an example of this reaction. While Protestant churches were bare and whitewashed, Catholic churches countered with elaborate and monumental artwork within the architecture. Ornate frescoes and a gold mine of Rubens over the altar can be found at this church. Most of the pieces depict different aspects of Mary's life and involvement in the church at the time.

In twenty years Pietro Berrettini created ornate frescoes of the ceilings and nave. This was typical during the Catholic reformation, as it did the opposite of the Protestant churches. Thses would show the importance of Mary in a religious life. Berrettini's frescoes include St. Philip's Vision of our Lady and the Falling Beam. This is a fresco where the Virgin told him to replace a rotting beam, thus preserving the building. Other frescoes include the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and the Trinity in Glory. Again, the use of Mary in more art depicts the level of importance that the Church wanted to display as a result of the Council. This would assert the Church's doctrines as truth over the Protestant doctrines.

The increased presence of Mary in Chiesa Nuova does not end with the frescoes. there are also chaples that portray the Visitation and Assumption of Mary. The Presentation of the Virgin may be found in the left transept. Mary is a repeated theme throughout this Counter Reformation Church. The church was built from 1575 and completed in 1605, the height of the reforms. It was dedicated to the Virgin and remains so today. The desire of the Church to assert its doctrines is made evident by Chiesa Nuova and her presentation of the Virgin Mary.