Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, Rome
The Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura (Basilica of Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls) is one of the five patriarchal basilicas of Rome.
As its name indicates, the basilica is dedicated to St. Lawrence and is located outside the old walls of Rome.
History
St. Lawrence was a librarian and archivist, and was responsible for keeping the records of the early church.
He was therefore believed by Roman authorities to have a list of the locations of the mythical hoards of gold held by the Roman church, as well as a list of names of Roman nobles who were members of the church.
Captured by the emperor's soldiers, St. Lawrence was given two days to bring all the treasures to the imperial palace, under penalty of death. Lawrence gathered up the all the diseased, orphaned or crippled Christians, brought them to the palace, and told the startled emperor, "These are the treasures of the church!"
According to tradition, St. Lawrence was later publicly roasted alive in Rome in the hopes that the influential Christian leader would renounce Christianity. Instead, he is said to have called out, "Turn me over, I am done on this side!"
St. Lawrence is thus often represented in art holding a gridiron, and he is also the patron saint of cooks. His feast day, August 10, is particularly celebrated among librarians.
The site of the present-day basilica was once home to a small oratory built by Emperor Constantine. Constantine, the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, built a shrine over the site on which it was believed that Saint Lawrence, one of the first seven deacons of Rome, was martyred in 258.
In the 580s, Pope Pelagius II commissioned the construction of a church over the site, in honor of the martyr.
In the 13th century, Pope Honorius III commissioned the construction of another church in front of the older structure. It was adorned with frescoes depicting the lives of Saint Lawrence, and the first martyred deacon Saint Stephen, who is interred with Lawrence in the confessio under the high altar.
The two structures were united as part of a program of urban renewal. Excavations have revealed several other crypts of various people, buried below street level.
The Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura was home to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from 1374 to 1847.
In 1943, the church was bombed during World War II. Restoration lasted until 1948, during which some 19th century accretions were also removed.
What to See
The inside of the Basilica of St. Lawrence is covered in a variety of frescoes. Displayed on one wall is a stone slab with blood stain, believed to be that on which the body of St. Lawrence was laid after his martyrdom.
Pope Pius IX, awaiting canonization into sainthood, is also buried at the basilica. Since his beatification, the body has been moved out of the tomb and placed, fully vested and with a silver mask, under a new altar like the body of St. Pius X in St. Peter’s.
Italian Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi, a founding father of the European Union, is also entombed and honored in the basilica.
More Information
- St. Lawrence - Catholic Encyclopedia
- St. Lawrence - Saints Alive
Travel Resources
- Rome Map - Sacred Destinations
- Rome Guided Tours & Day Trips - Viator
- Rome Car Rentals - AutoEurope
- Rome Hotel Reviews - TripAdvisor
- Rome Travel Forum - TripAdvisor
