Saint Lawrence or Laurence (31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome, Italy, under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman Emperor Valerian ordered in 258.
By tradition, Lawrence was sentenced at San Lorenzo in Miranda, imprisoned in and baptized fellow prisoners at San Lorenzo in Fonte, martyred at San Lorenzo in Panisperna, and was buried in San Lorenzo fuori le Mura. The Almanac of Filocalus for 354 states that he was buried in the Catacomb of Cyriaca on the Via Tiburtina by Hippolytus and Justin the Confessor, a presbyter. One of the early sources for his martyrdom was the description of Aurelius Prudentius Clemens in his Peristephanon, Hymn 2.
A famous legend has persisted from ancient times. As deacon in Rome, Lawrence was responsible for the material goods of the Church and the distribution of alms to the poor. Ambrose of Milan relates that when the treasures of the Church were demanded of Lawrence by the prefect of Rome, he brought forward the poor, to whom he had distributed the treasure as alms.Behold in these poor persons the treasures which I promised to show you; to which I will add pearls and precious stones, those widows and consecrated virgins, which are the Church's crown. The prefect was so angry that he had a great gridiron prepared with hot coals beneath it, and had Lawrence placed on it, hence Lawrence's association with the gridiron. After the martyr had suffered pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he cheerfully declared: "I'm well done on this side. Turn me over!" From this St. Lawrence derives his patronage of cooks, chefs, and comedians.
The general attributes of sculpture of St. Lawrence: usually holding a gridiron and wearing a dalmatic
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Svatý Vavrinec (latinsky Laurentius) (kolem roku 230[1]– 10. srpen 258, Rím) byl rímský klerik, jeden ze sedmi diákonu, kterí byli umucení pri pronásledování krestanu rímským císarem Valerianem v roce 258.
Byl diakonem sv. Sixta II., který byl umucen krátce pred ním. Po papežove smrti byl vyzván k vydání církevních pokladu, on je však na místo toho rozdal chudým, pro kteroužto vzpouru byl krute umucen (zaživa upecen).
Za svatého jej považují katolíci, pravoslavní a nekteré vetve anglikánu a luteránu. Katolická církev slaví jeho svátek 10. srpna.
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