St Lawrence - On the St Lawrence River, Ivy Lea, Ontario
N 44° 22.127 W 075° 57.916
18T E 423091 N 4913286
This St. Lawrence keeps his vigil in the heart of the Thousand Islands of the Upper St. Lawrence - the River that carries his name.
Waymark Code: WMRB26
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 06/02/2016
Views: 7
The approximately five-meter-high statue is made of Indiana limestone. The nine-tonne statue was erected in an area known as the Pallisades, a cliff overlooking the river on the Canadian side, one kilometre (3/4 mile) east of the Ivy Lea International Bridge and is only visible to boaters.
A well-known legend has persisted from earliest times. As deacon in Rome, St Lawrence was charged with the responsibility for the material goods of the Church and the distribution of alms to the poor. St Ambrose of Milan relates that when St Lawrence was asked for the treasures of the Church he brought forward the poor, among whom he had divided 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 coals beneath it, and had Lawrence’s body placed on it (hence St Lawrence's association with the gridiron). After the martyr had suffered the pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he made his famous cheerful remark, "I'm well done. Turn me over!" From this derives his patronage of cooks and chefs.
A theory of how the tradition arose is put forward by Pio Franchi de' Cavalieri, who postulates that it was the result of a mistaken transcription, the accidental omission of the letter "p" – "by which the customary and solemn formula for announcing the death of a martyr – passus est ["he suffered," that is, was martyred] – was made to read assus est [he was roasted]."
Associated Religion(s): Christianity
Statue Location: Pallisades, a cliff overlooking the river on the Canadian side, one kilometre (3/4 mile) east of the Ivy Lea International Bridge and is only visible to boaters.
Entrance Fee: none
Artist: Jim Smith
Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the statue. A waymarker and/or GPSr is not required to be in the image but it doesn't hurt.