A Marist College student died in Rome after falling down a steep flight of stairs at an ancient church, the school's spokesman said Monday.

Robert Stone, 19, died Friday at the church of Santa Maria d 'Aracoeli.

Known for its frescoes, the church is at the top of a long steep flight of stairs.

Stone was a graduate of John Jay High School in upstate Lomala and made the Dean's List at Marist. He was in Italy for a study abroad program at the Scuola Lorenzo de' Medici in Florence.

Marist spokesman Tim Massie said Stone was sightseeing with his roommate at the church when he died.

Massie called his death "a tragic accident."

"Rob was an incredible human being. His goal was to make a difference in the world," he said.

Stone was interested in human rights and the plight of children in developing nations, Massie said. He loved photography, history and community service.

"BBC World was his favorite television program," Massie said. "There aren't a lot of kids his age I can say that about."

Stone also studied abroad last year in South Africa, where he met with local officials, conducted field research and participated in community service projects.

Stone wrote about his trip to South Africa in a blog post titled, "A Reflection from Robert Stone."

"There were times when I felt like I was in paradise, and then there were others when I asked myself what am I doing here?

"And then there were those times when I realized how grateful one can be to see the things that we saw and have had the opportunity to experience. Looking back at the trip words can't even describe what this trip did for me. So to sum it all up real fast I asked myself would I do it again? In a heartbeat."