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Primary sourcePainting1511-1512

The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple

Raphael · 1511-1512

A dramatic fresco by Raphael in the Vatican depicting a biblical story, with a portrait of Pope Julius II witnessing the scene.

Raphael painted this fresco for Pope Julius II, who appears in it, showing Raphael's role as papal painter and his own self-portrait.

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Fresco of a Renaissance temple scene under a barrel-vaulted arch: on the right, a mounted rider in armor on a white horse, with a figure in a flowing cloak; on the left, a crowd of people kneeling and reacting, and a robed priest near an altar; fallen figures lie on the marble floor.
Raphael, The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple, 1511-1512. Vatican Museums.

About this source

What it is

Painted by Raphael between 1511 and 1512, this fresco decorates the Stanza di Eliodoro in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace. It shows the biblical story from 2 Maccabees of Heliodorus being driven out of the Temple by a divine horseman after trying to seize its treasure.

Why it matters

Raphael's patron, Pope Julius II, appears in the painting watching the scene from a litter, linking the biblical story to the pope's own defense of the Church. The fresco also contains a self-portrait of Raphael. Its dramatic use of architecture and movement shows Raphael developing a bolder style than in earlier, calmer works like The School of Athens.

Look closer

  • Why might Raphael include a portrait of his patron inside a biblical scene?
  • How does Raphael use composition to separate calm and violent parts of the story?
  • Can you find Raphael's self-portrait, and why might he have included himself?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Raphael on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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