In 1517 the German monk Martin Luther of the Augustinian order nailed his 95 theses on the door of All Saints' Church in Wittenberg. Luther criticized the indulgences. A Catholic preacher said: 'For each money offering that rings in the alms-box a soul in the Purgatory rises to Paradise.' Luther logically concluded that those who had money could pay to be saved, or that Christ had preached penitence and the indulgence drove man to avoid it by paying. In 1520 Luther burned the papal bull condemning his doctrines in the church square in Wittenburg. This action caused the final separation of the Protestants from Rome.

In 1534 Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon's husband and the father of Mary Tudor, wanted to marry Anne Boleyn. The Pope refused to give his consent and the King, with the Act of Supremacy, made the break between the Church of England and Rome. Furthermore the progress of Calvinism in France was also worrying where it looked as if another break of Rome would occur. Faced with these disputes Pope Paul III decided to call the 19th Council - 1545. What better place than Trento to hold discussions with the Protestants? An Italian speaking town within the German Empire, situated on the easiest route (Brenner Pass and Adige Valley) to cross the Alps and a meeting point between the Latin and German world.

The purpose of the Council was as follows:
1) to define the Catholic dogma.
2) to reform the customs and discipline of the Clergy.
3) to discuss with the Protestants about their return into Church.

The Council developed along three lines:
1) Congregations with the Theologians. These clarified the problems being discussed with the voters (Bishops, Generals of the Orders and representatives of the Monastic Congregations).
2) General Congregations of the voters: discussions of the problems and voting.
3) Solemn Congregations or Sessions: where the final decrees were voted.

The Council had its first sitting (1545-47) that was interrupted at the eight session, because of the threat of a petechial typhus epidemic. After this three sessions took place in Bologna (9,10,11) without any satisfactory results. The Council was resumed in 1551-52, when some Protestant representatives came to Trento, but nothing was achieved and talks with the Protestants failed completely. The Council continued after a ten-year gap (1562) and the attention turned to France, where Calvinism was spreading. During this last stage 213 voters were present (compared with 21 during the first) and so more room was needed and the congregations were held in the church Santa Maria Maggiore. Cardinal Morone's active intervention brought the Council to an end in a few months (4th December 1563).

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- Prof. Carlo Covi, "The Chapel of the Crucifix and the Council", en Guide Book of Trento, Giuseppe Pedrotti & C., p. 20-22, sin fecha.