Gaudy churches

I have talked on the large churches of Italy and how the tourism does nothing but distract and enrich; I have even spoken on how the elaborate gaudiness of the buildings is an artform. Now I intend to touch on the actual purposes of this elaborateness and why it is also a contradiction to religious practices. I could go on and on about the different statues and painting within the churches and whether they are truly icons that are worshiped (whether the patrons intend them to be or not) or whether they are pieces that are meant to hone respect and reverence instead of worship. I will choose not to because this is a thought that could, and has many times, turn into a full on academic thesis. Instead I would like to say that even though, at one time, these pieces could be seen as a way of telling a story to the common folk who were illiterate, I see it more as a way to strike immediate fear and intimidation into the hearts of onlookers. Giving them elaborate paintings that are not only skillful masterpieces but also of subject matters that range from hell to heaven and all the places in between, they act as a way to remind the people of their religious beliefs and also as a display of wealth and power that is bestowed by the church.