Cardinals
For a long time, mostly before XIX century, Cardinals were considered as princes; they were the most important dignitaries after the Pope. They were Italian, for the majority, and they belonged to the most important families of the states of the peninsula. They lived in wonderful palaces in the cities and they were the heads of small courts, where they used to give hospitality to the most popular artists and scholars of their time. They used to collect art works (as an example we can mention the collection of sculptures and paintings cardinal Farnese had) and commissioned decorations of churches to the artists who lived in their mansions.