The champion of free thought: Monumento ad Arnaldo da Brescia

The Monumento ad Arnaldo da Brescia is a bronze monument, modeled by the sculptors Odoardo Tabacchi and Antonio Tagliaferri. It was inaugurated in 1882 and is located at the eastern end of Piazzale Arnaldo in Brescia, Italy. The monument is dedicated to Arnaldo da Brescia, a friar who lived in the 12th century and spoke out against the corruption of the clergy, advocating for the poverty of the Church. In 1155, he was captured in Rome and later executed. The Brescia municipal government, with a liberal and Masonic administration, decided to memorialise Arnaldo da Brescia in 1865, seeing him as a champion of civil and moral engagement in a secular and libertarian context. The Monumento ad Arnaldo da Brescia was funded by the Brescia City Council in 1864 and four bas-reliefs depicting scenes from his life adorn the base of the monument. The monument is in the neo-Romanic style.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons