Money changers

This photo was taken in front of the santuario di Loreto which contains the La Santa Casa, claimed to be home of Mary and to have been transported to this location south of Ancona on the wings of angels direct from Nazareth. This is the pedestal for a bronze statue of Pope Sixtus V and there are several bronze reliefs on the pedestal. This photo shows a relief depicting a scene from scripture, Matthew 21:12-13, that describes how Jesus forced the money changers and sellers from the courtyard of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Behind the pedestal you can see a couple booths that line Piazza della Madonna, these sell various religious trinkets to the faithful. When I saw this bronze relief I thought how ironic it was with the booths in the piazza. We have seen this scene, with the selling of trinkets in front of major religious monuments, is repeated throughout Italy.