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The last quarter of the eleventh century is marked by the pontificate of Gregory VII (1073-1085). Gregory was responsible for a program of religious reform whose influence on the output of figurative art has been studied in depth. It is clear that there was a conscious desire to achieve an archaic tone in works of art, as well as a return to early Christian iconographic themes. An interesting example of this trend is provided by the frescoes in the Oratorium Marianum in Santa Pudenziana, showing stories from the life of Sts Pudentiana and Praxedes, and an enthroned Virgin and Child flanked by these two saints, who present the crowns of their martyrdom.
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