The 21-year old Italian was among pilgrims visiting the 30 meter high (98 feet) statue of Jesus Christ on the cross in the town of Cevo in the Italian alps ahead of Pope John Paul II's canonization in the Vatican on Sunday.
Local residents said they heard a loud rumble the moment the cross collapsed.
The cross was designed by the artist Enrico Job to mark the visit of Pope John Paul II to the region in 1998.