Pope Paul III Farnese

The partnership between popes and Perugia, begun in the eleventh century, was broken in 1305, when Avignon became the 'Vatican'. For the first fifty years Perugia safeguarded allegiance to papal authority. Then came an explosion of rebellion.
Between 1398 and 1402 Perugia accepted as its overlord Visconti, Duke of Milan. On his death she passed under the jurisdiction of the Pope.
In 1535 Pope Paul III came to make his authority imperative: for the first time in its history there was imposed on Perugia a government organised entirely by a Pope. There followed three years in which there prevailed peace and seeming contentment. Then another storm blew up. In 1538, Paul imposed what was the equivalent of a tax on salt throughout his dominions.
All those subject to him were required to purchase their salt from the pontifical stocks derived from the papal salt-beds, and this worked out at a considerable increase in price. Perugia rebelled against this, saying that it did not apply to her as Martin V (1424) had absolved her from all new taxes imposed by popes, and that Paul himself had accepted obligation. The city appealed in vain to be freed from the burden.

The great crucifix above the south door

Paul laid the city under an interdict forbidding all religious ceremonies. This punishment roused all the combative qualities of this recalcitrant people. Paul at once took drastic action. The Perugians called in Ridolfo Baglioni to organize their resistance. People paraded the streets. As a sign of rebellion the great crucifix belonging to the cathedral of San Lorenzo was brought out and placed above the south door.

The Pope intended to take the soldier's way of keeping them down, using cannon to enforce the military supremacy of the Church. In sullen silence people watched the preparations being made to enforce the military supremacy of a Church which ought to have been a Church of peace.