How did the Renaissance change Rome?

The Renaissance transformed Rome from a medieval city into the capital of an authoritarian papal state, fundamentally altering its physical, cultural, and political landscape.1

Urban and Architectural Transformation

Beginning in 1420, popes initiated large-scale urban renewal, replacing narrow, squalid medieval streets with wider, paved avenues. Under figures like Nicholas V and Sixtus IV, the city saw the construction of new Renaissance buildings, though this often involved the destruction of ancient Roman monuments for building materials. By the 16th century, Rome became the center of High Renaissance architecture, characterized by harmony and balance, exemplified by Donato Bramante’s Tempietto and the ambitious rebuilding of St. Peter’s Basilica.123

Cultural and Political Shift

Rome evolved into a premier center of art and humanism, attracting renowned masters such as Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci. While the city flourished economically through banking and papal industry, the papacy’s increasing focus on secular power and artistic patronage eventually overshadowed its religious role, contributing to the tensions that led to the Reformation.14