The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple

The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple
Artist Raphael
Year 1511-1512
Medium Fresco
Location Apostolic Palace, Vatican City
Dimensions ? × 300 in
? cm × 750 cm

Raphael, the Italian Renaissance master was the one who was commissioned to paint the fresco named The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple. The artwork was painted between the years 1511 to 1512. It was part of the assignment of Raphael to paint frescoes inside the rooms of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. The rooms are now known as the Stanze di Rafaello. The painting actually depicts a scene from the book of Maccabees Chapter 3 verses twenty one to twenty eight in the Bible. In those verses, the king of Syria ordered Heliodorus to get the treasure housed at the Jerusalem Temple. However, as part of an answered prayer, God too, sends someone to protect the treasure by driving out Heliodorus.