Pope Julius II, Great Patron of Rome

Most travellers to the eternal city of Rome will visit the Vatican to see the Basilica di S. Pietro and the Musei Vaticani. These marvels of architecture and art attract over four million tourists every year. But while everyone can see the grandeur and glory of these High Renaissance masterpieces, it is easy to overlook the historical background of these and other great works that dominate the way we see Rome today. Five centuries ago, on the design of the great architect Donato Bramante (1444–1514), the foundation stone was laid for the monumental Basilica di S. Pietro that would eventually replace the decaying basilica that had stood over the burial site and altar of Peter for more than a thousand years. In the same year, Raphael (r. 1483–1520) received his commission to fresco some private rooms in the papal residence adjacent to the new basilica, which are today celebrated as the Stanze di Raffaello (“Raphael Rooms”). Meanwhile, the latter's rival, Michelangelo (1475–1564), started his work on the massive vault of the Cappella Sistina, the papal chapel linking residence and basilica. These masterworks of the High Renaissance, all commissioned in 1506, radically transformed the Vatican and Rome. To grasp the greatness of these extraordinary works of art and architecture, it is not enough to see them. One must also seek to grasp the moving force behind their creation, touching them at their source, as it were.

In fact, there is one common historical element linking all three of these works together, and many others in Rome as well: Pope Julius II. Also known as the “warrior-pope,” Pope Julius II was born Giuliano della Rovere in 1443. He received a Franciscan education as a young man and was promoted to the offices of priest, bishop, and cardinal by his uncle Pope Sixtus IV (r. 1471–84), between the years 1471 and 1479, thereafter serving as pope from 1503 until his death in 1513. The Curia elected Julius during a papal conclave that lasted only a few hours, the fastest election in the history of the Catholic Church. His pontificate followed the twenty-six day reign of an aged and sick Pope Pius III (r. 1503), who himself had been elected in the aftermath of the controversial reign of the Spanish Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia as Pope Alexander VI (r. 1492–1503).