Maria Goretti was born in Corinaldo on 16 October 1890 in a peasant family. When her father died in 1900, Maria became responsible of looking after the house and her five siblings, as her mother had to start working. The girl began to attend catechism, became a very devout believer, and at the age of 11, after her first Communion, Maria decided that she wanted to die before committing sins. The following year Alessandro Serenelli, son of another family of farmers who worked with the Gorettis, attacked her and attempted to rape her; given Marie’s resistance he killed her by stabbing her; 14 wounds were found on the body. Right before she died she forgave his murderer just as Jesus had forgiven humanity on the cross;  Alessandro was sentenced to thirty years in prison, he did not get a life sentence because he was a minor, and subsequently obtained a reduction in his sentence for good behavior. Twenty-six years after the death of Maria Goretti her body was exhumed, so as to preserve the remains in a box preserved at the Sanctuary of the Gracious virgin Mary in Nettuno.

The tales of the statue in Dome’s building site:

The beautiful statue on the top of spire G51 is an original work by the sculptor Egidio Boninsegna, created between 1939 and 1940.