San Lorenzo
The Life of Saint Lawrence
Saint Lawrence was originally from Huesca, in Aragon, and was sent to Zaragoza to complete his humanistic and theological studies. It was here that he met the future Pope Sixtus II and they began a friendship and mutual respect as teacher and student. Later, both following a very active migratory flow at that time, left Spain to move to Rome.
He was elected archdeacon, responsible for charitable activities in the Diocese of Rome, which benefited 1,500 people among the poor and widows.
The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence
Emperor Valerian issued an edict according to which all bishops, priests, and deacons were to be put to death. The edict was immediately carried out in Rome, at the time when Dacianus was prefect of the city. Saint Lawrence was caught celebrating the Eucharist in the catacombs of Pretestato and was killed on August 10.
The Cult of Saint Lawrence
Since the fourth century, Saint Lawrence has been one of the most revered martyrs in the Church of Rome. Constantine I was the first to build a small oratory on the site of his martyrdom. This building was expanded and embellished by Pope Pelagius II.
Pope Sixtus III built a large basilica with three naves, with the apse leaning against the ancient church, on the top of the hill where Lawrence was buried. In the thirteenth century, Pope Honorius III unified the two buildings, which make up the basilica that exists today.
Pope Damasus I wrote a panegyric of Lawrence in verse, which was engraved in marble and placed on his tomb. The poet Prudentius also wrote a more poetic hymn to Saint Lawrence.
The most well-known events of Lawrence's martyrdom are described, with a wealth of details, in the Passio Polychromì, of which we have three versions. The first mention of August 10 as the date of the martyrdom dates back to the Depositio martyrum.
For Lawrence's martyrdom, we have particularly eloquent testimony from Ambrose in De Officiis Ministrorum, later taken up by Prudentius and Augustine of Hippo, then by Maximus of Turin, Peter Chrysologus, Pope Leo I, and finally by some liturgical formulas contained in the Roman sacramentaries, in the Gothic Missal, and in the Visigothic Ormulary.
Saint Lawrence is depicted as the patron saint of chefs, booksellers, librarians, archivists, firefighters, and victims of railway accidents. Unfortunately, his figure is often associated with the gridiron, a torture device used to kill him.
In many countries, August 10 is considered a religious and national holiday, celebrated with processions, fireworks, theatrical performances, and traditional cuisine. In Italy, for example, in Genoa, the feast is celebrated with the "festa de San Lurenzu," which includes two days of festivities, fireworks, and processions.
In conclusion, Saint Lawrence has become an example of faith and humility, a saint loved throughout the world, who embodies the values of Christianity through his testimony of sacrifice and love for the neighbor.
