The rich Roman art market was effectively closed to Le Gros, and he had to settle for a few works outside. After being first approached by the Benedictine abbey of Montecassino in 1712, in 1714 he gave in and took on three statues for the abbey's Chiostro dei Benefattori at a bargain price. These now became his main focus. At the time of his death, the statue of "Pope Gregory the Great" was finished and "Emperor Henry II" only needed finishing touches. The third, "Charlemagne", was hardly started and subsequently taken on by Le Gros' loyal assistant Paolo Campi as his own work. During the heavy bombing of Montecassino in World War II, "Pope Gregory" was nearly completely destroyed and is now heavily restored while "Henry II" suffered less damage and remains recognisable as a work by Le Gros.