Statue of St. Annibale Maria of France

The statue stands in the square of the same name, at the intersection of Via Santa Cecilia and Via Cesare Battisti. It consists of a bronze statue on a marble base, a work by the sculptor Mario Lucerna from Messina, and was placed in 1968. The work depicts Saint Annibale Maria di Francia, founder in 1882 of the Daughters of Divine Zeal, of the Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus in 1886, and of many Antonian Orphanages. Father Annibale dedicated his work to Messina in the Avignone district, the poorest and most notorious in the city, and there remains a strong sense of devotion to him among the people of Messina.