100 euro – The Stanze of Raphael - The Room of Heliodorus

Located in the Vatican Museums along the pathway leading to the Sistine Chapel, the Stanze of Raphael form part of the apartments chosen by Julius II della Rovere as his own residence. At ???rst the commission to decorate the ceiling was given to various artists, but in 1508 Bramante brought in Raphael who immediately began to work on the Room of the Segnatura. Given his great artistic talent, the Pope decided to have him decorate all the rooms, thereby effectively letting go the other artists. Raphael worked on the rooms from 1508 to 1520. The Room of the Heliodorus was frescoed from 1511 to 1514. It was originally used for the private audiences of the Pope. Four frescoes decorate its walls: the Mass of Bolsena, the Liberation of St Peter, the Encounter of Leo the Great with Attila, and the Expulsion of Heliodorus from the temple. This last work, from which the room takes its name, has been chosen to be featured on the 100 euro coin. The depiction illustrates the biblical episode of Heliodorus, chancellor of the King of Syria, who after having stolen the treasure preserved in the Temple of Jerusalem is overcome and banished by a horseman and two youths sent by God.