Saint Massimiliano M.Kolbe
The statue of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, the Polish friar who offered his life in exchange for that of a person condemned to death, was commissioned to the sculptor Roberto Joppolo for the exhibition in St. Peter's Square during the solemn canonization of 10 October 1983. The author represents the friar’s character in an austere and proud attitude, in the purposeful act of the extreme sacrifice, necessary to save a family man’s life. The Saint, appearing as a Franciscan friar, has on his feet the prisoner’s jacket imprinted with the imprisonment number, to testify that the sanctity and the sense of belonging to the order cannot be erased by the mistreatment suffered in a concentration camp. The statue, inaugurated by S.S. John Paul II, was made in bronze with wax casting, it is m. 1.85 tall and has been reproduced in 4 specimens, two of which are in Poland, one in Japan and one in America.
