His films like 'The Gospel According to St. Matthew' and 'Salò' critique religious and institutional power structures through provocative examinations of faith, morality, and persecution.

His masterpiece 'The Passion of Joan of Arc' remains cinema's most profound exploration of religious persecution, depicting the trial and martyrdom of a saint with unflinching spiritual intensity.

His films 'Andrei Rublev' and 'The Sacrifice' meditate on faith under oppression and the persecution of spiritual artists within totalitarian systems that suppress religious expression.