Clement XII — born Lorenzo Corsini in 1652 — was blind for the last decade of his pontificate, governing almost entirely from bed by the time this grosso was struck. The inscription IN CIBOS PAVPERVM, meaning "for the food of the poor," reflects his genuine reputation for charitable distribution; he instituted public grain subsidies in the Papal States and financed famine relief through personal funds drawn from the Corsini family fortune.
His reign also saw the first papal condemnation of Freemasonry, issued in 1738 — one year after this piece.
Clement XII — born Lorenzo Corsini in 1652 — was blind for the last decade of his pontificate, governing almost entirely from bed by the time this grosso was struck. The inscription IN CIBOS PAVPERVM, meaning "for the food of the poor," reflects his genuine reputation for charitable distribution; he instituted public grain subsidies in the Papal States and financed famine relief through personal funds drawn from the Corsini family fortune.
His reign also saw the first papal condemnation of Freemasonry, issued in 1738 — one year after this piece.