Studies are currently underway to arrive at an exact identification of this statue, its attribution is currently still being verified. Research leads to the association of the statue with the figure of San Pancrazio, a young saint who lived in the 3rd century AD. and was martyred as a teenager, perhaps at 14 or 15 years old. The same Roman Martyrology reports: “Saint Pancratius, martyr, who is said to have died for his faith in Christ in Rome at the second mile of the Via Aurelia while still a teenager; near his tomb Pope Symmachus built a famous church and Pope Gregory the Great there he frequently summoned the people, so that from that place they could receive testimony of true Christian love.”

Tales of the statue in Dome’s building site:

The statue was created in 1811 by the sculptor Antonio Rusca, already working in the Duomo construction site for the creation of other works. From the neoclassical era, this statue represents a young, half-naked boy with curly, flowing hair. Partially covered by a drapery that falls from his right shoulder, he seems to be taking a step forward. The right hand is raised in the act of holding an object no longer present. The style of the sculpture denotes that at the time the sculptors working on the Cathedral construction site were influenced by national historical-artistic events, in particular by the current of neoclassical thought. A terracotta model of it is today exhibited inside the Cathedral Museum.