The relief of the Meeting of Leo I and Attila was commissioned by Innocent X for St Peter's in 1646. The composition of this relief is modeled on Raphael's representation of this crucial episode in the history of papacy in the Stanza Eliodoro.

Algardi in this work effectively created a larger than life-size narrative whose principal events are dramatically conveyed. With his gesture of pushing away Attila, Leo points to the miraculously airborne Saints Peter and Paul, who have come to lend divine assistance. The deep shadows, emphatic gestures, and heavy drapery patterns work together to create an arresting and convincing sense of papal power.

Preview	Picture Data	Info
	The Meeting of Leo I and Attila 1646-53 Marble, height 750 cm Basilica di San Pietro, Vatican
	The Meeting of Leo I and Attila 1646-53 Marble, height 750 cm Basilica di San Pietro, Vatican
	The Meeting of Leo I and Attila (detail) 1646-53 Marble Basilica di San Pietro, Vatican
	The Meeting of Leo I and Attila (detail) 1646-53 Marble Basilica di San Pietro, Vatican
	The Meeting of Leo I and Attila (detail) 1646-53 Marble Basilica di San Pietro, Vatican
	The Meeting of Leo I and Attila (detail) 1646-53 Marble Basilica di San Pietro, Vatican