San Lorenzo in Panisperna
Encyclopedia
San Lorenzo in Panisperna, or San Lorenzo in Formoso, is a church on Via Panisperna, Rome
, central Italy
. It was built on the site of its dedicatee
's martyrdom.
who built the first attested church here.
, only 100 years after the martyrdom of St. Lawrence, though the first written evidence is from 1300, when Pope Boniface VIII
rebuilt the church and annexed an abbey to it. That abbey was given to the Benedictines in 1451, and then had the Poor Clares settled in it by Cardinal Jacopo Colonna in 1896, who also restored the church and monastery. The Franciscans now serve the church.
The present church is a result of a rebuilding by Carlo Rainaldi
in 1575-1576, under Pope Gregory XIII
. It was at this time it became known as 'in Panisperna' rather than 'in Formoso', and that the present facade was built. A new outer portico was added in the 17th century, then restored and decorated with images of Sts Lawrence and Francis of Assisi in 1893-1894 by Pope Leo XIII
who in 1843 had been ordained bishop in this church. Leo also added a steep flight of steps in front of the church, leading to a tree-lined courtyard. There is a modern bronze statue of St Bridget of Sweden here.
A medieval house is preserved next to the church with an exterior staircase, one of the few such houses to have been preserved in Rome.
Under its porch is a chapel containing the oven said to have been used for St. Lawrence's martyrdom. A late 16th century fresco of maryrdom of Saint Lawrence behind the high altar (said to be by Pasquale Cati, a mediocre pupil of Michelangelo
) portrays the martyrdom. The crucifix by the high altar is from the 14th century.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, central Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It was built on the site of its dedicatee
Saint Lawrence
Lawrence of Rome was one of the seven deacons of ancient Rome who were martyred during the persecution of Valerian in 258.- Holy Chalice :...
's martyrdom.
Name
Panisperna most probably refers to the tradition of the Poor Clares in the adjacent convent of distributing bread and ham (pane e perna) on August 10, Lawrence's feast day, in remembrance of his distributing funds from the church to the poor. Formoso refers to Pope FormosusPope Formosus
Pope Formosus was Pope of the Catholic Church from 891 to 896. His brief reign as Pope was troubled, and his remains were exhumed and put on trial in the notorious Cadaver Synod.-Biography:...
who built the first attested church here.
History
Tradition states that the first building was constructed during the reign of Emperor Constantine IConstantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
, only 100 years after the martyrdom of St. Lawrence, though the first written evidence is from 1300, when Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII , born Benedetto Gaetani, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1294 to 1303. Today, Boniface VIII is probably best remembered for his feuds with Dante, who placed him in the Eighth circle of Hell in his Divina Commedia, among the Simonists.- Biography :Gaetani was born in 1235 in...
rebuilt the church and annexed an abbey to it. That abbey was given to the Benedictines in 1451, and then had the Poor Clares settled in it by Cardinal Jacopo Colonna in 1896, who also restored the church and monastery. The Franciscans now serve the church.
The present church is a result of a rebuilding by Carlo Rainaldi
Carlo Rainaldi
Carlo Rainaldi was an Italian architect of the Baroque period.Born in Rome, Rainaldi was one of the leading architects of 17th century Rome, known for a certain grandeur in his designs. He worked at first with his father, Girolamo Rainaldi, a late Mannerist architect in Rome. After his father's...
in 1575-1576, under Pope Gregory XIII
Pope Gregory XIII
Pope Gregory XIII , born Ugo Boncompagni, was Pope from 1572 to 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake for the Gregorian calendar, which remains the internationally-accepted civil calendar to this date.-Youth:He was born the son of Cristoforo Boncompagni and wife Angela...
. It was at this time it became known as 'in Panisperna' rather than 'in Formoso', and that the present facade was built. A new outer portico was added in the 17th century, then restored and decorated with images of Sts Lawrence and Francis of Assisi in 1893-1894 by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
who in 1843 had been ordained bishop in this church. Leo also added a steep flight of steps in front of the church, leading to a tree-lined courtyard. There is a modern bronze statue of St Bridget of Sweden here.
A medieval house is preserved next to the church with an exterior staircase, one of the few such houses to have been preserved in Rome.
Interiors
The church has a single nave with three chapels on each side.- South side
- Includes a painting of St Clare of AssisiClare of AssisiClare of Assisi , born Chiara Offreduccio, is an Italian saint and one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi...
(1756) by Antonio Nessi, and a ceiling fresco of Glory of St Lawrence by Antonio Bicchierai. - Contains the tomb of the brothers St Crispin and St CrispinianusCrispinSaints Crispin and Crispinian are the French Christian patron saints of cobblers, tanners, and leather workers. Born to a noble Roman family in the 3rd century AD, Saints Crispin and Crispinian, twin brothers, fled persecution for their faith, ending up in Soissons, where they preached Christianity...
, with a painting by Giovanni Francesco Romano. - Painting of the Immaculate ConceptionImmaculate ConceptionThe Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
by Giuseppe Ranucci.
- North side
- Painting of StigmataStigmataStigmata are bodily marks, sores, or sensations of pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus, such as the hands and feet...
of St Francis by Niccolò Lapiccola. - Chapel of St BridgetBridget of SwedenBridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden (1303 – 23 July 1373; also Birgitta of Vadstena, Saint Birgitta , was a mystic and saint, and founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after the death of her husband of twenty years...
, where she was buried before her body was moved to Sweden. She had used to beg for alms for the poor outside this church, and prayed before the crucifixCrucifixA crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
by the high altar. Now, a martyr named Victoria lies underneath the altar in the chapel. The painting of St Bridget Praying before the Crucifix is by Giuseppe Montesanti, and was painted in 1757. - Includes an 18th century crucifix of the Roman school.
Under its porch is a chapel containing the oven said to have been used for St. Lawrence's martyrdom. A late 16th century fresco of maryrdom of Saint Lawrence behind the high altar (said to be by Pasquale Cati, a mediocre pupil of Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
) portrays the martyrdom. The crucifix by the high altar is from the 14th century.