15.2 Catholic Baroque, Interior of Pilgrimage Church, Mariazell, Austria

Roman Catholic response to the Reformation took shape in the Catholic Reformation, or Counter-Reformation (see “Western Christendom Fragmented”). That vigorous movement found expression in a style of church architecture known as Baroque, which emerged powerfully in Catholic Europe as well as in the Spanish and Portuguese colonies of Latin America during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The interiors of such churches were ornately adorned with paintings, ceiling frescoes, and statues, depicting Jesus on the cross, the Virgin and child, numerous saints, and biblical stories. The exuberant art of these church interiors appealed to the senses, seeking to provoke an emotional response of mystery, awe, and grandeur while kindling the faith of the worshippers and binding them firmly to the Catholic Church in the face of Protestant competition. Source 15.2 is a photograph of the interior of the Pilgrimage Church of Mariazell, located in present-day Austria. A church site since the twelfth century, the building was enlarged and refurbished in Baroque style in the seventeenth century.

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Source 15.2 Catholic Baroque, Interior of Pilgrimage Church, Mariazell, Austria Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY