Saint Lawrence

Deacon and Martyr
(died 258)

Saint Lawrence was one of the seven deacons of the Church of Rome under Pope Sixtus II, and he suffered martyrdom just three days after the Pope himself during the persecution of Valerian in 258. He is one of the most venerated martyrs of the early Church, and his feast has been kept since the very earliest times as one of the principal solemnities of the Roman Church. His name is mentioned in the ancient Canon of the Mass alongside Peter, Paul, and the other great Roman martyrs.

As archdeacon he was responsible for the material goods of the Church and for the distribution of alms to the poor. When the emperor's prefect arrested Sixtus II and his deacons, Lawrence followed his bishop weeping and asked where he was going without his deacon. Sixtus prophesied that Lawrence would follow him in martyrdom within three days. The prefect then demanded that Lawrence hand over the treasures of the Church. Lawrence asked for three days to gather them, and then presented the poor, the sick, the blind, and the lame of Rome to the prefect, declaring that these were the true treasures of the Church.

This response enraged the authorities, and Lawrence was condemned to be roasted alive on a great iron gridiron over burning coals. The courage and even the humour with which he endured this terrible death became legendary throughout the Christian world. He is said to have told his torturers, Turn me over, I am done on this side, a remark that has made him the patron of cooks and of those who work with fire. Whether historically precise or not, this tradition captures the spirit of a man who had achieved such freedom from fear that even death by fire could not rob him of his peace.

The basilica built over his tomb on the Via Tiburtina, one of the seven pilgrim churches of Rome, has been a place of continuous veneration for more than seventeen centuries. His feast is celebrated on August 10th, and the night before it is traditionally called the Night of the Shooting Stars in Italy, recalling the sparks that flew from his gridiron.