Monumento a San Fransesco, Rome, Italy. Sculpted by Giuseppe Tonnini and erected in 1929 right in front of the Basilica of San Giovani in Laterano, the Statue of St. Francis of Assisi (Monumento a San Fransesco in the Italian language) is a huge bronze sculpture installed on a massive base made from the peperino stone. A catholic friar, deacon and preacher, St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most venerated religious figures in the world.