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WALKING TOURS OF ROME

The 'Tears of Saint Lawrence'

10/8/2020

 
Statue of Saint Lawrence, church of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, Rome
Statue of Saint Lawrence, San Lorenzo fuori le Mura

August 10th is the feast day of St Lawrence. Aside from the apostles and St Paul, no single person achieved greater prominence in the early church than St Lawrence, who was the Archdeacon of Rome at the time of the persecutions of the emperor Valerian (r. 253-260). 

In Rome, no fewer than 45 churches and oratories are dedicated to him, a number exceeded only by the Virgin Mary. San Lorenzo fuori le Mura stands on the 'site' of his burial, San Lorenzo in Panisperna stands on the 'site' of his martyrdom, while the 'gridiron' on which he is said to have been roasted alive, can be found in the church of San Lorenzo in Lucina.

St Lawrence was put to death on August 10th, 256. In a suitably gory end for a Christian martyr, the story goes that he was grilled alive over hot coals. Unfazed by this ordeal, he had the temerity to tell his torturers that he was 'done' on one side, asking to be turned over. It may come as no surprise to learn that Saint Lawrence became the patron saint of chefs.

The Perseids, the annual meteor showers, which peak between August 9th and August 14th, are sometimes referred to as the 'tears of St Lawrence'. 

The meteor showers are called the Perseids, because the point from which they appear to hail lies in the constellation of Perseus.

Reliquary with Gridiron, church of San Lorenzo in Lucina, Rome
Reliquary with gridiron, San Lorenzo in Lucina

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    Walking Tours For Discerning Travellers

    My name is David Lown and I am an art historian from Cambridge, England. Since 2001 I have lived in Italy, where I run private and
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  • Home
  • Private Tours
  • Contact
  • Rome
  • St Peter's Basilica
    • Altars >
      • Altar of St Joseph
      • Altar of St Gregory the Great
      • Altar of the Madonna of Succour
      • Altar of St Sebastian
      • Altar of the Lie
      • Altar of the Presentation of the Virgin
      • Altar of St Jerome
      • Altar of the Transfiguration
      • Altar of Pope Leo the Great
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      • Countess Matilda of Canossa
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      • Central Door
      • Door of the Sacraments
      • Holy Door
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    • Crossing >
      • Baldacchino
      • Confessio
      • Dome
      • St Longinus
      • St Helena
      • St Veronica
      • St Andrew
    • St Peter
    • Chapel of the Choir
    • Chapel of the Baptistery
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  • Sistine Chapel
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      • Ceiling: Part Two
      • Ceiling: Part Three
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    • Fountain of the Triton
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    • Fountain of the Turtles
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    • Fountain of the Cannonball
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  • Images of the Eternal City