IThe Counter-Reformation reinvigorated the church and, to some extent, eliminated its excesses. But the Counter -Reformation also contributed to the decline of the Italian Renaissance , a revival of arts and letters that sought to recover and rework the classical art and philosophy of ancient Greece and Rome . The popes had once been great patrons of Renaissance arts and sciences, but the Counter-Reformation put an end to the church's liberal leniency in these areas. Further , the church's new emphasis on religious orthodoxy would soon clash with the emerging scientific revolution. Galileo, with his study of astronomy, found himself at the center of this clash.