FLORENCE -- The court of Florence acquitted the four defendents accused of manslaughter after a Spanish tourist died in the Santa Croce Basilica in 2017, the court announced Tuesday. 

 The tourist, Daniel Testor Schnell, 52, died after being struck by a stone fragment that had fallen off the church's ceiling. 

 Among the defendents were the president of the Santa Croce Opera, Irene Sanesi; the former president, Stefania Fuscagni; the general secretary, Giuseppe De Micheli; and the responsible technician, Marco Pancani. 

 Prosecuter Benedetta Foti asked for each of the defendents to be sentenced for manslaughter, giving each of them up to a year and a half of prison time. 

 Schnell's family did not file a civil action lawsuit. They recieved 2,250,000 euros before the trial began. 

 The Santa Croce Opera released a statement on Tuesday, "[expressing] its satisfaction for having seen the value of its commitment to the protection of the monumental complex recognized."

 They added that the court of Florence's ruling "confirms the correctness of those who acted, in the various roles, for the care of the heritage of Santa Croce and recognizes the relevance of the always profitable activity of the Opera." 

 In addition, they said that Scnell's death was an "absolutely unpredictable tragic event," and that they share "deep and sincere closeness" to Schnell's family. 

 jd