Expulsion of Heliodorus from the temple

A rider on a rearing white horse and two youths in mid-air pursue a fallen man who lies among scattered gold coins. The scene is set within a grand, vaulted temple where onlookers watch the supernatural intervention with shock. Dramatic movement and strong lighting emphasize the power of the divine figures repelling the intruders.

Commissioned by Pope Julius II, this work serves as a political allegory for the divine protection of the Church and its temporal property against secular invaders. It represents the High Renaissance ideal of the 'ecclesia militans' or the Church militant, drawing on the biblical account in 2 Maccabees.