Location:Probably Vaucelles - Date:Shortly before 1250 (incorporated in the firsts 'Passionaire français') (BHL 4753-4754-4758) (Perrot, 1992: 20, 180-189) - Commission: /

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Life of Saint Lawrence of Rome(+258). Lawrence worked in Rome as archdeacon in the service of Pope Sixtus II and was responsible for the management and protection of the church property. Under the reign of Emperor Valerian I the Christians were restricted in their rites and devotional practices. Laurentius' master Sixtus was martyred because of the fact that he held regular clandestine liturgies in the catacombs of Rome. Four days after his death, Lawrence suffered the same fate because of his complicity. Together with three other deacons he was caught during a secret Mass led by pope Sixtus. Lawrence wasn’t however executed immediately upon his capture. Emperor Valerian forced him to hand over the Church treasures before the implementation of his death sentence. For this reason Laurentius asked the emperor permission for three days exemption to collect and deliver the fortune. Nevertheless, he managed to give all the valuable possessions to the poor. On his return he showed the emperor a number of these pore people with the message: ‘Here are the treasures of the Church.’ As punishment Laurentius was roasted alive. According to legend, he would have said during his torture: ‘This side is cooked. Times now to turn me over. During his torture he converted S. Romanus Ostiarius, S. Hippolytus of Rome and eighteen military figures, including some soldiers and guards.

Brussel/Bruxelles, Koninklijke Bibliotheek/Bibliothèque Royale, 10326
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, 17229 (Link)
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, nouv. acq. fr., 10128

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PERROT (J.P.), Le Passionnaire français au Moyen Age (Genève, 1992) 299-300 (fragment)

Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina 4753-4754-4758
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HO (C.), 'Grilled for love: St. Lawrence and his devotees', Medieval Perspectives 19 (2004) 133-155
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MEYER (P.), Légendes hagiographiques en français, in: Histoire littéraire de la France, XXXIII (1906) 393-458
MILLS (R.), 'A man is being beaten', in: R. Copeland, e.a., New Medieval Literatures (Oxford, 2002) 5, 115-153
PERROT (J.P.), Le Passionnaire français au Moyen Age (Genève, 1992) 180-189
RUNNALLS (G.A.), 'Langage de la parole ou langage du geste? Le mystère de Saint Laurent', in: J.-P. Bordier (ed.), Langues, codes et conventions de l'ancien théâtre. Actes de la troisième rencontre sur l'ancien théâtre européen, Tours, Centre d'Etudes Supérieures de la Renaissance, 23-24 septembre 1999. (Paris, 2002) 121-134
VAN DER LINDEN (S.), De Heiligen (Antwerpen, 1999) 512-513