St Lawrence (d. 258) deacon and martyr
Lawrence
was a deacon of the Church of Rome and died in the persecution of
Valerian four days after Pope Saint Sixtus II and his four
fellow-deacons.
He was buried on the Via Tiburtina at the Campo Verano
near to where Constantine the Great later built a basilica.
He has been
venerated throughout the Church from the fourth century.
A deacon in the service of Pope St Sixtus II
The
tradition about Lawrence is that he was a deacon from Spain in the
service of Pope Sixtus II. He was put in charge of the administration of
Church goods and care for the poor. He is also regarded as one of the
first archivists and treasurers of the Church. When the soldiers of the
emperor Valerian arrested Pope Sixtus and his four deacons (See 7th
August) while saying Mass in the cemetery of Saint Callistus, and took
them off to martyrdom, Lawrence tried to hold Sixtus back, saying,
"Where are you going priest, without your deacon? Where are you going,
father, without your son?" Sixtus promised Lawrence they would be
reunited within three days.
The treasures of the Church
Because he had charge
of the sacred vessels used for saying Mass, Lawrence, fearing these
would be confiscated by the State officials, sold them and distributed
the money to the poor. A Roman official heard he was selling off the
treasures of the Church and, assuming the Church had great wealth,
promised he would not harm Lawrence if he handed over the treasures
within three days. When Lawrence returned to the official after three
days, he was followed by a large crowd of the poor, the blind, the lame
and the helpless. "These," he said, "are the treasures of the Church."
Roasted on a gridiron; patron of chefs
The
official ordered his soldiers to strip Lawrence, tie him to a gridiron,
build a slow fire under it to roast him. But instead of being in agony,
Lawrence called out jokingly to his executioners, "Turn me over. I'm
already roasted on this side." In a short time he was dead. This story
comes to us from St Ambrose of Milan (340-397). Because of this he is
regarded as the patron saint of chefs.
Papal Basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura
His
fellow Christians buried Lawrence on the Via Tiburtina outside the city
walls. About fifty years later in recognition of the reverence in which
he was held by the Christians of Rome, the emperor Constantine had a
basilica constructed over his tomb. With various modifications made over
the centuries, it remains today as the Basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le
Mura (St Lawrence outside-the-Walls) and is just one of seven major
churches in his honour in the city.
Named in the Roman Canon (First Eucharistic Prayer)
The
fact that the name of Lawrence name is included among those
commemorated in the Roman Canon (First Eucharistic Prayer) shows the
extraordinary reverence in which he was held in the fourth and fifth
centuries. In the Veronese Sacramentary, which is a record of the
liturgy of Rome in the sixth century, there are prayers for fourteen
Masses of St Lawrence and his feast has a vigil before it and an octave
following it.
Ravenna mosaics
In the mausoleum of the imperial
princess Galla Placidia in Ravenna, Lawrence is depicted carrying a long
cross on his shoulder and a gospel book in his hand walking towards the
fire and the gridiron.
Patronage
Lawrence is regarded as the patron saint of tanners, roasters, chefs, archivists, librarians and treasurers. He is one of the most widely venerated saints in the Catholic world, giving his name even to Lund Cathedral in Sweden, the Basilica in the Escorial Palace in Spain and the St Lawrence River in Canada.