'A Great Church of the Renaissance: St. Peter's, Rome, For the Building of Which Tetzels' Indulgences Were Sold', c1930. View of St Peter's Basilica, regarded as one of the holiest Catholic shrines, and in the foreground the Vatican Obelisk, an Ancient Egyptian monument dating from the 13th century BC. German Dominican friar and preacher Johann Tetzel (1465-1519) was known for granting indulgences on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church in exchange for money. Indulgences are 'a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins' after death. From "The World's Story, a Simple History for Boys and Girls", by Elizabeth O'Neill. [T. C. & E. C. Jack, London & Edinburgh, c1930]