Saint Lawrence

When S aint Sixtus saint Sixte Pope and martyr, mentor of Saint Lawrence. was called to ascend the chair of Saint Peter, the position of archdeacon, having become vacant by his promotion, was entrusted to his beloved disciple Saint Lawrence, so much did the virtues and talents he had already displayed within the clergy of Rome inspire confidence and lead to reliance upon his devotion for such a difficult office.

When Saint Lawrence was thus placed at the head of the seven deacons, who, in imitation of the seven chosen by the Apostles in Jerusalem, presided over the different districts of the city, he had not exceeded what one might call the middle of common life; consequently, he was still in the full flower of his youth and the beauty of his age. This is at least the memory that tradition has left us, in agreement with the monuments that have survived the ruins of time.

The principal functions attached to his new dignity were to assist the Sovereign Pontiff, to dispense the divine mysteries to the faithful, and to take care of the poor, the infirm, and the virgins consecrated to God. He added to these obligations common to all deacons the administration of the Church's estates and ecclesiastical oblations; for, from that time, the Roman Church possessed some landed property, a large number of houses, and even palaces within the city.

It was therefore upon the archdeacon Lawrence, faithful guardian and equitable dispenser of all these goods, that the burden of this great administration weighed. "Lawrence, in the midst of treasures, rich gifts, and so much gold that the faithful and the Church entrusted to his hands, was poor nonetheless," Saint Peter Chrysologus tells us, "and lived the life of the poor." This faithful minister knew that if God demands from the powerful of this world an exact account of their riches, even more severe and rigorous will be the one He demands of the goods of the Church, the patrimony of Christ and the poor, the price of sins!

Thus, it was precisely the scrupulous fidelity in the management of the Church's revenues, and the observance of the sacred duties it imposes, that earned him the palm of martyrdom.

No symptom presaged the approach of a persecution for the Christians when Valerian took th Valérien Roman emperor under whom the martyrdom took place. e reins of the empire. A prince of a gentle character and inclined toward clemency, he showed himself full of benevolence toward them, favoring them even more than any of his predecessors, not excepting the Philips who were considered Christians. "His palace," says Eusebius, "was filled with worshippers of the true God; you would have taken it for a Church with its various ministers rather than for a profane dwelling."

Around the year 257, obliged to go to the East to repel the Barbarians who were invading the empire on all sides, this prince also had the pain of seeing his army and a part of the Roman provinces ravaged by the plague. These combined misfortunes exerted a harmful influence on his naturally weak mind. He believed he found in the secrets of magic the only effective remedy for all calamities. Then, constantly obsessed by a troop of soothsayers from Egypt who prescribed to his superstition the most infamous and inhuman sacrifices, he finally allowed himself to be persuaded by them that the only obstacle to his personal happiness and that of his empire were the worshippers of Christ. From then on, Valerian began to distance Christians from his court and to withdraw his favors from them; there were even here and there in the provinces some faithful who suffered martyrdom; however, without an order issued from the throne, the persecution had not yet become general.

The Church, always resigned but prudent, was not unaware of the emperor's secret dispositions. Thus, it expected to see the violent edicts reappear, and the blood of Christians flood the empire. Suddenly, the rumor spread that Valerian, from the depths of Asia, had just addressed a new rescript against them to the Senate. Indeed, all the violence of the persecution was to weigh, as usual, upon Rome, the privileged city of the martyrs, its deacons, its priests, and above all its Pontiff.

Saint Sixtus was the most cruelly attacked. The emperor ordered that he be seized and forced to offer incense to his idols; but this generous defender of the faith having refused to do so, he was loaded with chains and irons and thrown in this state into the Mamertine prison. Saint Lawrence, having learned that this blessed Pontiff was arrested as a prisoner and that he would soon lose his life for the faith, wished, as the true deacon of such a holy priest, to keep him company in this sacrifice, and, to obtain this grace, he spoke to him in these terms full of zeal and tenderness, which Saint Ambrose puts in his mouth:

"Where are you going, my father, without the company of your child? What do you intend to do, holy priest, without the one you have chosen as minister of the holy altars? Never have I seen you offer our holy Mysteries without your officers: what have you found in me that has displeased you? Do you believe me capable of some cowardice or some weakness? Test me, I pray, and you will see that I am not an unfaithful minister. You have always entrusted me until now with the dispensation of the blood of Jesus Christ, and today you refuse me the honor of mingling my blood with yours. Do you not fear that if your courage in martyrdom is praised, your conduct in thus abandoning your disciple will nevertheless be blamed? How many conquerors have won more victories through the courage of their subjects than through their own battles? Finally, did not Abraham raise his arm to immolate his own son, and did not the Prince of the Apostles yield to Saint Stephen the glory of being the first of all the Martyrs? Why then, most holy father, will you not allow your children to bear witness to your wisdom and your virtue by dying generously with you? Do not delay the sacrifice of a child you have raised; the palm he will win in your presence will serve as an ornament to your crown, and his triumph will be your own triumph."

Saint Sixtus, touched by the sentiments of his deacon, replied to him in this way to console him:

"I am far, my son, from abandoning you; but the faith of Jesus Christ calls you to greater combats than mine. As we are already broken by old age, only light trials are prepared for us; but for you, who are in the flower of age and in vigorous youth, the tyrants will give you the matter for a much more glorious triumph. Cease then to shed tears; if I am going to shed my blood for the Gospel, you will also shed yours for the same cause. Three more days of patience, and you will see your fate similar to mine. This time is necessary for you; it would not be honorable for you to conquer in the wake of another, as if you needed someone to animate you for the combat! Why do you wish to take part in my victory, since you are offered a crown full and entire? Why do you wish so much for my presence? He, ascending to heaven, left Elisha on earth, and this disciple did not lose courage for that. Take care only to distribute, according to your prudence, the treasures of the Church that I have left to you."

After this speech, Saint Sixtus gave the kiss of peace to Saint Lawrence and parted from him.

This holy deacon, overcome by these words, obeyed his sovereign pastor. He went through all parts of Rome to seek out the poor Christians in the cellars where they were hidden, in order to assist them in their needs. First, he ran to the Caelian Hill, where there was a holy widow named Cyriaca who had tak Cyriaque Roman widow who sheltered persecuted Christians. en into her house several of the faithful and even priests and other ministers of the Church who had taken refuge with her. Saint Lawrence entered this house by night, and, to show his respect for these ecclesiastics, he washed the feet of them all; then he placed his hands on the head of the widow Cyriaca, who had long been afflicted with a great headache, and adding the sign of the cross, he healed her perfectly, then he gave alms to each of them according to their state.

The same night, he went to the Canides district, to another house belonging to a man named Narcissus, where he again found a large number of Christians who had taken refuge there. He performed there the same works of humility and charity that he had done at the home of the widow Cyriaca. He also restored sight to a blind man named Crescens by the sign of the cross. From there he directed his steps toward the foot of the Viminal, in the region of the Vicus Patricius, or Patrician quarter, and descended into the Nepotian catacomb, where there were about sixty-three Christians, both men and women; he entered with tears in his eyes, gave them the kiss of peace, and distributed to them the aid he had brought. He met in this place a holy priest named Justin who had been o Justin Saint to whom the virtues of Misselin are compared. rdained by Saint Sixtus. Lawrence, recognizing his character, wished to kiss his feet. Justin did what he could to defend himself; but finally, Lawrence, by his pressing entreaties, won the victory in this contest of humility; he kissed his feet, washed them, and did the same for all the other men.

After having spent the whole night in these exercises of charity, and having fully satisfied the intentions of Saint Sixtus, he saw, the next day, this blessed Pope being led to his execution. From as far away as he caught sight of him, he began his sighs again and cried out once more: "Ah! do not abandon me, Holy Father; I have done everything you ordered me to do, I have distributed to the poor the treasures you entrusted to me."

The soldiers who were guarding Saint Sixtus, hearing this word of treasure, seized Lawrence and led him to the tribune Parthenius, who reported the fact to Valerian. This emperor was greatly rejoiced: he had him brought before him, questioned him on various points, and commanded him to declare the place where he had hidden these treasures. The holy deacon, not deigning to give him any answer, placed him in the hands of Hippoly tus, a Ro Hippolyte Saint priest exiled to Sardinia with Pope Pontian. man knight, with orders to examine him again regarding these treasures of the Church. Hippolytus led him to his dwelling, located in the Vicus Patricius, and locked him with other prisoners in a prison that can still be seen today under the church of Saint Lawrence in Fonte. There was among them a man named L ucillus Lucille Blind prisoner healed and baptized by Lawrence. , who had been there for a long time, and who, by dint of weeping over his misery, had become blind. Saint Lawrence, whose life had been spent in relieving misfortune, spoke to him of Him who had once opened the eyes of the man born blind, and of the wonders that He never ceased to perform in favor of His own. Then he said to him: "Take heart, my brother, for if you wish to believe in Jesus Christ, I promise to heal you."

Lucillus consented with joy, and testified that he had long desired to be baptized. Immediately the holy deacon conferred upon him this sacrament of our regeneration, and, in giving him the light of the soul, he at the same instant restored to him that of the body.

The rumor of this miracle spread immediately throughout the city, and attracted to Lawrence's prison a great concourse of other blind people who came to throw themselves at his feet to receive from him a similar benefit. He healed them all by the sign of the cross. Hippolytus, who began to be shaken at the sight of so many wonders, begged Saint Lawrence in terms full of sweetness and honesty to give him knowledge of the treasures of which he had spoken. The holy deacon took this opportunity to instruct him.

434 AUGUST 10.

"O Hippolytus," he said to him, "if you wish to believe in God, the almighty Father, and in His Son Jesus Christ, I pledge to show you great treasures, and I promise you eternal life."

These words made such a strong impression on the mind of Hippolytus, and grace, at the same time, operated so powerfully in his heart, that he suddenly changed his sentiment; he converted to the faith, and received baptism from the hands of Saint Lawrence with his entire family, composed of nineteen people.

However, Valerian commanded that Lawrence be brought to him. Hippolytus, who had been looking after his interests since he became a Christian, gave him notice of this order, and the holy deacon, instead of being surprised, said to him: "Let us go, Hippolytus, let us go, there are crowns of glory for you and for me."

Brought before the tyrant and questioned again about his treasures, he asked for a term of three days to gather them; the tyrant granted it to him, with orders for Hippolytus to accompany him everywhere. Saint Lawrence assembled all the blind, lame, and other poor people he could find, and went with this retinue to the emperor's palace and said to him: "August prince, behold the treasures of the Church that I have brought you: eternal treasures that always increase without ever diminishing, which spread everywhere and which everyone can possess."

The emperor, indignant at this surprise, ordered him to be stripped and his skin torn with scorpions; and, to terrify him further, he had all the instruments of torture that were inflicted upon the Martyrs brought before him, threatening to make him feel all their rigors on the spot if he would not worship his gods. The generous disciple of Jesus Christ, without being moved, replied with a truly Christian constancy: "O unfortunate one! You who think to frighten me with these tortures, know that if they are torments, it is only in your eyes and not in mine: for I make them my joy, and it has been a long time since I have had any more ardent desire than to eat at this table and to satiate myself with these delicious dishes."

The emperor ordered him to be loaded with chains and irons, and to be taken in this state to the palace of Tiberius, built on the Palatine Hill, to be interrogated again. Then he had him brought back before his tribunal at the temple of Jupiter; there, he pressed him with new demands to reveal the treasures, to sacrifice to the gods, and to no longer place his hope in the riches he kept hidden, because they would not be capable, he told him, of protecting him from the punishments that were prepared for him. Our invincible Martyr continued to answer with as much gentleness as firmness: "I trust in the treasures of heaven, which are piety and divine mercy, and which will keep my soul in liberty, while my body is exposed to your tortures."

The emperor had him whipped with rods, and the holy deacon, as if to insult him, said to him: "Know now, miserable one, that the treasures of Jesus Christ make me triumph, since I do not feel the torments."

The emperor, seeing this, had him suspended in the air and had his sides burned with blades of iron reddened in the fire. But the Saint, still despising this torment, addressed his prayer to Our Lord in these terms: "Adorable Jesus, only Son of the true God, have mercy on your servant, who, being accused, has not been cowardly enough to disavow your name, and who has upheld its glory in the midst of the most horrible tortures."

This tranquility of mind that Saint Lawrence displayed only served to animate the tyrant further against him; he attributed such a miraculous victory to diabolical enchantments and threatened him with new tortures. The Saint replied to him with the same courage: "By the grace of my God, I do not fear the torments which cannot be of long duration: do not cease, therefore, to mistreat me, do boldly what you can to make me suffer."

The emperor, beside himself at this new defiance, had him beaten with leaded whips in such a cruel manner that the holy Martyr, believing he was losing his life, lifted his eyes to heaven and prayed to God to receive his soul; but he heard a voice that told him he was not yet at the end of his sufferings and that he still had hard battles to endure. The emperor himself heard this voice and cried out: "Do you not see, O Romans, that the demons come to the aid of this sacrilegious man, who fears neither the gods, nor your princes, nor the most rigorous tortures?"

He then had him stretched on the rack to dislocate all his limbs, and had his skin torn with scorpions and other instruments of torture. But the Martyr, always constant and generous, mocked his executioners, and addressing his speech to God, said to Him from the depths of his heart: "Be blessed, my Lord and my God, who show such great mercies to one who is unworthy of them. Grant me the grace, my adorable Savior, to make known to all those who compose this assembly, that you will never abandon your servants, but that you will console them in the time of tribulation."

Immediately the Father of mercies sent him an Angel to console him and give him some relief in his martyrdom; the Angel wiped the sweat from his brow and the wounds of his body with a cloth, as has been reported in the life of Saint Romanus.

On the same day, the emperor, who had set up a tribunal in the Baths of Olympias, located on the Viminal Hill and near the palace of Sallust, had Saint Lawrence appear there again, and, to strike terror into his heart, he had all the instruments of torture with which a human body could be afflicted brought before him once more. He questioned him about his country, his birth, and the whole course of his life.

"As for my country," said Saint Lawrence, "I am Spanish, although I have been nourished in Rome since my youth. I was made a Christian from the cradle, and I have always been raised in the knowledge and practice of divine laws."

"Ah!" said the emperor, "can you boast of recognizing a divine law, you who despise the gods and mock the just punishments of impiety?"

"It is true," replied Saint Lawrence, "that, by the mercy of my God, I do not recognize idols and I do not fear torments; but it is in this that I obey the orders of the divine law."

The emperor threatened him, if he did not change his mind, to leave him in torture all night long.

"If that is so," said the Martyr, "this night will be for me a brilliant day and a light without darkness."

He had him struck on the mouth with stones; but this ordeal only served to strengthen him further in the faith. Finally, the tyrant, no longer able to contain his fury, had an iron bed in the shape of a gridiron set up in his presence, and having had our holy Martyr stretched out upon it, he had a small fire of coals lit lit de fer en forme de gril Instrument of the martyrdom of Saint Lawrence. underneath to roast him at leisure, in order to make his death more cruel by making it last longer. While he was in such intolerable torture, the emperor, instead of having compassion, insulted him by pressing him with more rage than ever to sacrifice to his gods; the executioners stoked the fire and thrust large iron forks into the body of this admirable Saint, to adjust him to their liking. But Saint Lawrence, always unshakeable, turning toward the tyrant, said to him with a resolution worthy of him: "Know, wretch, that your fires have only refreshment for me, and that they reserve all their ardor to burn you yourself eternally without ever consuming you." Then, with a smiling face and all radiant with light, he said to him again: "Do you not see that my flesh is sufficiently roasted on one side? turn it then to the other." When the executioners had turned him, he said to the judge: "My flesh is now sufficiently roasted, you may eat of it."

Finally, the term of his victory having arrived, he gave thanks to God for opening the gates of heaven to him so happily; then he rendered his spirit into His hands and went to receive the crowns that were due to his zeal and his constancy.

The next morning, Hippolytus and the priest Justin had the body of the holy Martyr transported to the catacomb on Cyriaca Avenue, near the Via Tiburtina, called the Veran o Field, and lo le Champ Verano Initial burial place of Saint Lawrence. cated two kilometers from the city walls. Many of the faithful were present at this funeral, and remained in that place for the space of three days and three nights, which they spent fasting, keeping vigil, and weeping over the tomb of the holy archdeacon, who had done them so much good. In the end, the blessed Justin celebrated Mass and gave communion to those present, who then all withdrew, because the news of their devotion was already spreading in Rome, and the enemies of the Church were preparing to seize them.

Such was the martyrdom of the most illustrious Saint Lawrence, upon whom Saint Ambrose gave a beautiful discourse. Saint Augustine and Saint Leo, Pope, say that Rome was no less honored by the martyrdom of Saint Lawrence than the city of Jerusalem was by that of Saint Stephen. Saint Maximus equates him to the Apostles. Saint Peter Chrysologus, Saint Simeon Metaphrastes, and other authors also speak with extraordinary admiration of his virtues and his courage. Prudentius, in his beautiful verses, describes his combats and his victories, and says that the martyrdom of Saint Lawrence was the death of idolatry, because from that moment paganism began to fall into decay, and the name of Christian to become victorious.

Saint Lawrence is invoked against fires. Pilgrimages are made to Forestmontiers to ask him for the healing of burns and skin irritations known as the "Saint Lawrence Malady."

One sees, in a glass fragment preserved in the Vallicellano Museum, the bust of Saint Lawrence, with the monogram of Christ behind his head, the ordinary place of the halo. This symbol signifies that Christ, expressed by this figure, had made his dwelling in the soul and spirit of the Blessed one. He carries a large cross on his shoulders, to demonstrate that he faithfully followed his Master by carrying his cross. — Ancient paintings and mosaics in Rome represent him with this large cross in his hand, because it was the deacon's office to carry it in sacred functions. — He is also painted on the cover of a very ancient manuscript in the Vallicellana library. For a somewhat similar reason, the volume of the Gospels was placed in his hand in the frescoes of the Saint Valentine cemetery, in the mosaic of Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls, and in those of the tribune of Saint Mary in Trastevere and Saint Clement. — Saint Lawrence is also represented between the apostles Peter and Paul, seated on a lectisternium, or a type of seat that has the shape of our modern sofas. All three wear the penula or ancient chasuble. — He is also seen standing, dressed in the toga, with the volume of the Gospels half-unrolled. — In an ancient engraving dating back to the first centuries, one sees two executioners holding Saint Lawrence, one by the feet, the other by the hands, and turning him over on the gridiron. Above the Saint, his soul, in the form of a small figure with arms extended, rises toward heaven to receive from the hand of God the crown due to his triumph. The tyrant presiding over the execution wears a crown and holds a scepter in his hand. — A painting represents Saint Lawrence conferring baptism upon Saint Romanus, with the same bronze vase that is still preserved in the sacristy of Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls. — In the frescoes of the apse of the ancient church of Saint Cyriaca, on the Caelian Hill, one sees, at the feet of Saint Lawrence, minted silver and rich gold vases for the use of the sacrifice, which he is preparing to distribute to the crowd of Christians and some clerics surrounding him. Further on, he is on his knees before them and humbly washes their feet. In the third painting, a woman is represented prostrate before the Saint; he, standing with his eyes to heaven, places on her head the cloth he has just used in the washing of the feet. This woman was the pious widow Cyriaca, whose home served as an asylum for persecuted believers. — In the church of Saint Nazarius and Saint Celsus in Ravenna, he is represented holding his triumphal cross; near him is the gridiron with the brazier upon which he consumed his martyrdom, and a cupboard or library, in which one notices three volumes on which one reads: Marcus, Matthæus, Lucas; the fourth, Joannes, is in the hands of the Saint. — He is also represented in a dalmatic, holding his gridiron in one hand and the palm of martyrdom in the other.

CULT AND RELICS.

The miracles that occurred at the tomb of the holy Martyr made him famous; a multitude of temples were raised on all sides in his honor. But it was above all in Rome that his protection was felt; Saint Leo the Great says that his patronage was for the city of Rome what that of Saint Stephen was for Jerusalem, and Prudentius attributes the conversion of the former city mainly to his martyrdom. Thus, the cult of this great Saint was always particularly honored there. Constantine had a basilica built over his tomb, which is one of the five patriarchal and one of the seven principal stations, governed today by the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine. The body of this holy Martyr is honored there. Some pieces of the gridiron upon which he was roasted are also preserved there; and, in the tribune, behind a gilded grille, the marble is shown upon which the body of Saint Lawrence was placed after his martyrdom, and where it rested for many years. The traces of blood and liquefied fat are perfectly visible, even though someone has removed some in several places to distribute them as relics. Pope Alexander II granted a perpetual indulgence of forty years and as many quarantines to all those who, having confessed and received communion, would visit, on any Wednesday of the year, a church placed under the invocation of Saint Lawrence.

Pope Damasus also honored his memory with another church which is collegiate, and which is called Saint Lawrence in Damaso, where some of his ashes and the coals that served to roast him are preserved. There is also, in the same city, Saint Lawrence in pane et perna, built on the site of his martyrdom, where one of the bones of his arms is kept, with some other coals from his brazier. Saint Lawrence in Fonte, at the place where this great Saint brought forth a fountain which he used to baptize new Christians. Saint Lawrence in Lucina, where there is some of his burnt flesh stained with his blood and his ashes. One also sees there the iron fork that the executioners used to stir the fire, and the cloth with which an angel came to wipe his wounds. There is furthermore Saint Lawrence in Borgo Vecchio, Saint Lawrence the Little, and Saint Lawrence in Miranda. In the rest of Italy, the cathedrals of Viterbo, Perugia, and Genoa are dedicated to Saint Lawrence; and in Spain, the great church of Huesca, where he was born, and the cathedral of Burgos.

10 AUGUST.

In Constantinople, the Empress Saint Pulcheria had a beautiful church built in his name, where she placed his relics; and the Emperor Justinian later made it even more magnificent.

Removed from his tomb at an unknown time (François Pouterla thinks it was in the time of Pope Saint Sylvester), the head of Saint Lawrence was transported first to the Sancta Sanctorum, which was the chapel of the Popes when they lived in the Lateran Palace, then to the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican; then finally to one of the chapels of the Quirinal Palace, where it is still found today. This venerable head is very well preserved. The face is covered with its skin, which is perfectly smooth; the mouth has kept all its teeth; the upper lip is visibly contracted by the action of the fire, as are the eyes, one of which in particular is as if dried up. This head is enclosed in a beautiful reliquary of Gothic form in gilded silver and adorned with bas-reliefs and enamels.

In 1860, at the approach of the Piedmontese invasion, the holy pontiff Pius IX had it solemnly brought down into the midst of Rome, to the church of Saint Lawrence in Damaso, so that the people, through even more pressing prayers, might come to implore the help of the great defender of the patrimony of the Roman Church.

Today, although Rome has made numerous distributions of the holy Martyr's relics to churches, the greater part of the body still rests in the place where Saint Justin deposited it. Around the year 519, Pope Hormisdas detached some particles of the gridiron to send them to the Emperor Justin, who had urgently requested them through his ambassadors.

The church of Saint Martin, in Laon, diocese of Soissons (Aisne), has exhibited, since the middle of the 13th century, th e le Laon Location of Gelduin's first monastery. ft arm and the right hand of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr. Here is what a constant tradition, dating back more than six hundred years, reports. A Premonstratensian religious of Laon felt inspired to go in search of a relic of the blessed Martyr for whom he had a particular devotion. He left the monastery and went to Jerusalem. There, Franciscan friars enjoined him to return to his monastery. The religious obeyed, and after many hardships, he arrived in Hungary at a Premonstratensian monastery. Many relics were neglected there, among others a small reliquary containing the left forearm and the hand of Saint Lawrence. His great devotion pushed him to take this relic, which was neglected by the religious of that monastery. He did indeed take it and transported it to Laon with many hardships. When he arrived in the vicinity of the city, he had Gautier or Vautier de Bouxi (Wadferus), Abbot of Saint Martin, notified. A few days later, an immense procession was organized to come and fetch the distinguished relic. Anselm, the fifty-first bishop of Laon, accompanied by the Chapter of his cathedral, came to receive it at the foot of the mountain and deposited it in the church of Saint Martin. It was preserved, honored, and exhibited there until the French Revolution. A pilgrimage was immediately established, and many favors were obtained from God by the pious pilgrims. The feast of Saint Lawrence was celebrated very solemnly on August 10, the Sunday within the Octave, and the day of the Octave. Each of these three days, the reliquary containing the arm was carried in procession. All the pilgrims who came to venerate the Holy Face at Montreuil-sous-Laon did not fail to also go and honor the relic of Saint Lawrence. The reliquary, a gift of the piety of a King of France, weighed 185 marks of gilded silver. The arm was placed on a dish of gilded silver weighing 9 marks. Around the arm was a small strip of very fine gold on which was engraved in Gothic letters: Arm of Saint Lawrence. The thumb, which was missing from the hand, had been detached to be given to a Queen of France. A painting hanging in the church represented the religious bringing the arm of Saint Lawrence.

On September 30, 1793, the reliquary and the basin were sent to the mint. Mr. Selleux, administrator of the parish church of Saint Martin, being present at the inventory of the furniture, had the good fortune to save the arm of Saint Lawrence from the impetuosity of the revolutionaries. He recorded his declaration in a report dated September 28, 1793. Several former Premonstratensian religious of the abbey of Saint Martin gave written attestations of the identity of this relic with the one they had always seen in the church of Saint Martin. Upon the restoration of the church in 1804, Selleux presented the relic of the arm of Saint Lawrence to the ecclesiastical authority with all the documents that established its authenticity. Mgr Leblanc de Beaulieu, Bishop of Soissons, summoned the witnesses, had a series of reports concerning the removal and identity of the relic examined, and permitted its public exhibition in the church of Saint Martin (April 15, 1804). In 1837, Mgr de Simony had the reliquary presented to him, opened it, examined the pieces, and after having venerated the precious relic, removed two small bones from the tip of the index finger, resealed the reliquary, and confirmed the permission to expose it to the veneration of the faithful.

In the diocese of Ferentino, in Italy, an ampulla of glass has been preserved from time immemorial, containing blood of the Martyr, dried and adhering to the walls of the vase. During the greater part of the year, it remains in this state of coagulation; but at the approach of August 10, from the evening of the first Vespers of the feast, it begins to liquefy and to boil. In the 18th century, Pope Paul V had the authenticity of this miracle verified, and had a few drops of this miraculous blood enclosed in a rich gold reliquary and deposited in the treasury of Saint Mary Major. One also sees in Rome, in the church of Saint Mary, a large part of his tunic. The rest of his clothing is preserved in the ancient chapel of our Saint at the Lateran Palace, called, because of the distinguished relics that the Popes had gathered there, Saint Lawrence ad Sancta Sanctorum.

The cathedral of Nancy possesses a rib of Saint Lawrence; it was preserved during the Revolution, recognized and approved on January 30, 1803, by Mgr Ormond, and deposited in the reliquary of Saint Sigisbert. The church of Bouxières-aux-Dames, near Nancy, possesses a fragment of a rib of the same Saint. The church of Tounay, canton of Saint-Nicolas de Port, possesses a beautiful fragment of bone, coming from a monastery in Germany. The Churches of Sens, Le Mans, and Paris formerly obtained from the Sovereign Pontiffs some relics of the holy Martyr. The one in Le Mans lost them during the Revolution.

Besides the relics we have just mentioned, here are others honored under the name of Saint Lawrence: In Rome, of his arm, at Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls and at Saint Lawrence in Pane e Perna. Of his ribs, at Saint Peter's in the Vatican, at the Twelve Apostles, at the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, at Saint Mary in Portica, at Saint Mary of the Angels, at Saint Praxedes. A vertebra, at Saint Mary Major. At Saint Cecilia, a half-burnt bone. At Saint Lawrence in Damaso, three links of his chain, ashes, and coals. At Saint Mary in Cosmedin, of his gridiron. In Antwerp, two of his fingers. Of the leg bone, in Florence, in Padua, at Saint Mary of the Virgins, in Naples. Of the shoulder bone, in Tongeren, in Cologne. Of his gridiron and ashes, at the Escorial, in Peru. Of his blood and flesh, in Liège. In Aachen, a piece of his skull, in the church of Saint John the Baptist in Borcelle; of his shroud and his dalmatic, in the church of Saint Theresa. Of his bones, in Venice, in Padua, in Auxerre. In Sens, a vertebra; in Molay, in the same diocese, of his gridiron and his bones. In Romeville, diocese of Saint-Brieuc, half a tooth. In Nevers, two teeth. In Montreuil-sur-Mer, a rib.

We have used, to complete this biography, the History of Saint Lawrence, by Abbé Labouw; the Hagiology of Nevers, by Mgr Croquier; and local notes provided by Mr. Henri Conquet, of the chapter of Sclazens, and by Abbé de Blaye.