Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, called Caravaggio, is still one of the most disputed and most discussed artists from the 17th century. Caravaggio was considered to be enigmatic, fascinating, rebellious and dangerous. He burst upon the Rome art scene in 1600, and thereafter never lacked commissions or patrons, yet handled his success atrociously. Caravaggio’s novelty was a radical naturalism which combined close physical observation with a dramatic, even theatrical, approach to chiaroscuro, the use of light and shadow. The novelty of his art was contrary to the conception of the church that housed authentic, religious art. As in the case of his altarpieces in S. Maria del Popolo and S. Luigi dei Francesi, his works were often rejected because of their “decadent and vulgar iconography.” The three selected churches show the Roman masterpieces of the artist whose works we can also visit in the Galleria Borghese and in the Capitoline Museums.