Feast day: 10 August
Saint Lawrence
Sanctus Laurentius
One of the seven deacons of Rome, martyred in 258 for presenting the poor to the prefect as 'the treasures of the Church'.
- Born
- About 225, traditionally Huesca in Hispania
- Died
- 10 August 258, Rome
- Canonization
- Pre-Congregation martyr; venerated in Rome from the fourth century and named in the Roman Canon of the Mass.
- Country
- Roman Empire
Biography
Deacon under Pope Sixtus II
Lawrence served as archdeacon of Rome, entrusted with the Church's goods and the care of the poor. In August 258 the emperor Valerian ordered the execution of bishops, priests and deacons; Sixtus II was seized while celebrating in the cemetery of Callixtus and put to death on 6 August.
The treasures of the Church
Given three days to hand over the Church's wealth, Lawrence distributed it to the poor and then gathered the destitute, the crippled and the blind before the prefect, saying, 'These are the treasures of the Church.' He was executed four days after the pope, on 10 August.
The gridiron and his cult
Saint Ambrose and the poet Prudentius, within a century and a half, recount that he was roasted on a gridiron and jested with his executioners; some historians think beheading more likely, as it was the standard penalty of the edict. Constantine built a basilica over his tomb on the Via Tiburtina, and his name entered the Roman Canon.
Timeline
- ~225 — Born, traditionally in Hispania
- ~257 — Ordained deacon by Pope Sixtus II
- 258 — Martyrdom of Sixtus II on 6 August
- 258 — Lawrence martyred on 10 August
- ~330 — Constantine builds the basilica over his tomb
Dates marked ~ are traditional or debated among historians.
Symbols
Gridiron — The instrument of his traditional martyrdom.
Purse of coins — The Church's goods given to the poor.
Dalmatic — The vestment of the deacon.
Virtues & spiritual lessons
Fidelity to the poor, fearless wit before power and the diaconal spirit of service unto death.
Importance in the Church
After Peter and Paul, Lawrence is the most venerated martyr of Rome; his answer to the prefect became the Church's classic definition of her true wealth.
Quotes
“These are the treasures of the Church.”
Saint Ambrose, De Officiis II, 28
Prayers
Collect of Saint Lawrence
O God, giver of that ardour of love for you by which Saint Lawrence was outstandingly faithful in service and glorious in martyrdom, grant that we may love what he loved and put into practice what he taught. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Collect of the Roman Missal for the feast of 10 August.
Places
Basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, Rome — Built over his tomb, one of the seven pilgrim churches.
San Lorenzo in Panisperna, Rome — Traditional site of his martyrdom.
Entries are drawn from the Roman Martyrology, the General Roman Calendar, canonization records of the Holy See, and the saints' own writings. Where a date, quotation or attribution is uncertain, it is marked as such. (63 saints)