Rome has been the capital of the Western church since ancient times, and for 1,000 years, the power of the church didn't just rule the city. It adorned it.

Until modern times, it was the Church that had the power, the money, and the need for great art. And going to church offered the masses — whose lives were so dreary otherwise — a promising glimpse of the glory that awaited them in the next life.

And, visiting today, you can appreciate how the Roman Catholic Church long dominated Roman society. My goal: to experience the art from the perspective of a historic worshipper or pilgrim. Popping into churches — many of them nondescript on the outside — you’ll find sumptuous art treasures inside. The wonderful thing about seeing art in churches is that it’s in situ — not hanging on museum walls, but exactly where the art was designed to be seen. Thoughtfully stringing together several churches can be an art lover’s delight.

Two of my favorites are St. Peter-in-Chains with its dramatic Moses by Michelangelo, and Santa Maria sopra Minerva, with its soaring gothic interior, another Michelangelo, and engaging frescos by Filippino Lippi.

After the intellectual nature of the Renaissance, Baroque, which followed, was emotional. By the year 1500, Renaissance artists had mastered realism. Now, in 1600, Baroque went beyond realism to wow its viewers with exuberance. Baroque art was propaganda. It served the needs of the divine monarchs and of the Church. By pulling emotional strings, it convinced people to obey.

Pop into many churches and you’ll hardly know where to look. It’s a riot of Baroque — an exuberant style born right here in Rome. Every inch is slathered with ornamentation — oh-wow spiral columns framing scenes that almost come to life…cupids doing flip-flops…and ceilings opening up into the heavens.