In 1511 a young painter named Raphael Sanzio from Urbino, destined to become one of the Masters of the Renaissance, began to paint the second room in the apartments of Pope Julius II. Bearing the name “the Room of Heliodorus”, the room is a reference to a biblical episode which appears in the Old Testament. Sent by the king of Syria Seleucus, general Heliodorus attempts to take the treasure preserved in the temple of Jerusalem. Yet, God sends a horseman, who assisted by two youths, banishes Heliodorus from the holy place. The priest in the center of the painting is a direct allusion to the power of the Catholic clergy. Julius II was himself a warrior Pope, ready to fight for justice and expel usurpers from the Church, a statement reiterated by his presence in red and white robes on the left side of the picture.