In the Prince’s day, the painting of the gods on the ceiling had been a symbol of the Salina pride and dominance. Now, the “pagan” images have been unceremoniously painted over, showing both the inevitability of change and the fact that the Salina family no longer exists in its earlier dominant form. But, rather like the Prince’s association of the paintings with his own prowess, the sisters now attribute special power to their religious art—though, from the Monsignor’s reaction, it appears that even this significance is questionable.