The article is devoted to identifying the causes of anti-religious sentiments in Italy at the turn of the 18–19th centuries. The authors point to the reasons for the apologetic writings of Italian theologians. Their views had a very beneficial effect on the mental and in particular on the religious movement in Italy. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the situation in Italy in the 18–19th centuries. Based on this analysis, the authors conclude that because of the constant confrontation with the Italian government for power and their interests, apologists for Christianity, who belonged to the clergy of the Catholic Church, caused hostility towards the Catholic Church among ordinary Italians. In the course of the study, the idea of a significant impact of this situation on the spread of anti-Christian ideas in Italy at the turn of the 18–19th centuries was substantiated. And the national liberation movement for the unification of Italy, which was gaining momentum at that time, opened up a free field for the dissemination of various anti-church and atheistic teachings.