Piazzale del Verano, Rome, Italy
Basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura
One of Rome's seven pilgrim basilicas, built over the tomb of the deacon and martyr St. Lawrence, combining a sixth-century church and a thirteenth-century church joined end-to-end in an unusual double-basilica structure.
San Lorenzo sits outside the old Aurelian walls in the university district near the Verano cemetery, and it has the feel of a neighborhood church that happens to hold one of the most important tombs in Christian history. Lawrence was a deacon of Rome who was martyred in 258, and Constantine built a shrine over his burial place. What you see today is the result of two churches being merged into one. Pelagius II built a church here in the 580s, and Honorius III built another in the 1210s and joined them together by removing the apse of the older church. The result is a long, light-filled nave with a raised chancel — you walk through the thirteenth-century section and step up into the sixth-century one, which is visibly older and lower. The Cosmati floor, the medieval frescoes in the portico, the ancient columns, and the simple episcopal throne all have the honest, worn quality of a building that has been continuously used for worship. The tomb of St. Lawrence is in the crypt below the altar. The basilica was damaged by Allied bombing in 1943 and carefully restored. Pius IX is buried here as well, in a mosaic-lined chapel off the nave.
Diocese: Diocese of Rome
Style: Early Christian and Romanesque (double basilica)
What to See
Start in the portico and look at the thirteenth-century frescoes — they show scenes from the lives of St. Lawrence and St. Stephen, whose relics are also kept here. Inside, walk the full length of the nave and notice where the floor level changes — that is where the two churches were joined. The crypt below the main altar holds the tomb of St. Lawrence, accessible by stairs on either side. The Cosmati pavement is among the best in Rome. The chapel of Pius IX, decorated with mosaics in a nineteenth-century style, is an interesting contrast to the ancient fabric around it. The Verano cemetery next door is worth a walk if you have time.
Pilgrim Notes
The basilica is outside the city center, near the Sapienza university campus. Take the tram or bus from Termini station — it is about a fifteen-minute ride. The neighborhood is more local and less touristy than the historic center. The church is open daily and entry is free. This is one of the seven pilgrim churches of Rome, and visiting all seven is a traditional pilgrimage route. Pair San Lorenzo with a walk through the Verano cemetery, where many notable Italians are buried, and then head back toward Santa Maria Maggiore to continue the pilgrimage circuit.