Ceiling photo-47

This elaborate ceiling fresco uses trompe-l'oeil perspective to create the illusion of a deep architectural hall containing a central altar with a crucifix. Below the altar lies the broken stone figure of a pagan deity and his shattered caduceus, symbolizing the victory of the Church over ancient religions. The surrounding vault is decorated with allegorical figures of virtues, putti, and heraldic dragons within geometric compartments.

This work represents the Counter-Reformation's rejection of Renaissance syncretism, specifically the displacement of Hermetic and Neoplatonic 'Prisca Theologia' by Christian orthodoxy. The destruction of the statue of Mercury (Hermes) serves as a visual argument that the ancient wisdom of the Hermetic tradition is subordinate and ultimately discarded in favor of divine revelation.