Abbot Luigi

Abbot Luigi is one of the talking statues of Rome. Like the other five "talking statues", pasquinades – irreverent satires poking fun at public figures – were posted beside Abate Luigi.
The statue is a late Roman sculpture of a standing man in a toga, probably a senior magistrate. It was found during the excavations for the foundations of the Palazzo Vidoni-Caffarelli, near the Theatre of Pompey. After being moved to various locations in Rome, the statue has been situated in the piazza Vidoni since 1924, near its place of discovery, on a side wall of the Basilica [di Sant'Andrea della Valle]. Its head has been removed in jest several times.
The original identity of the person depicted has not been determined, and it was named after a clergyman from the nearby chiesa del Sudario.
An inscription on its plinth testifies to Abate Luigi's loquacity:

FUI DELL’ANTICA ROMA UN CITTADINO
ORA ABATE LUIGI OGNUN MI CHIAMA
CONQUISTAI CON MARFORIO E CON PASQUINO
NELLE SATIRE URBANE ETERNA FAMA
EBBI OFFESE, DISGRAZIE E SEPOLTURA
MA QUI VITA NOVELLA E ALFIN SICURA
I was a citizen of Ancient Rome
Now all call me Abbot Louis
Along with Marforio and Pasquino I conquer
Eternal fame for Urban Satire
I received offences, disgrace, and burial,
till here I found new life and finally safety