Statue of Saint Francis in Lateran church


Statue of Saint Francis with his brothers at the gate of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, awaiting the approval of his way of life. The statuary of Saint Francis of Assisi is a group of bronze sculptures, by Giuseppe Tonnini. It was erected in 1927 overlooking the Cathedral of Rome (Basilica of Saint John Lateran). Before the meeting of Saint Francis and Innocent III, the Pope had a vision of a poor friar supporting the Lateran Patriarchate which was about to fall. It is located on a large base of peperino stone (a light and porous volcanic rock composed of small grains of sand). It is seven meters high and was made in 1925 to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the saint's death. Saint Francis is depicted with open arms, symbolically embracing the Basilica, while being surrounded by the bronze figures of his brothers. The monument is allocated between the Basilica of St. John Lateran, and the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem.

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