Foodies

News on Saint Lorenzo Patron Saint of Cooks

The Foodies' KitchenAugust 10, 2015

This post is also available in / Esta entrada también está disponible en ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)

It’s August 10th, and today we celebrate the day of Saint Lorenzo Patron Saint of Cooks. Through a post we published a few years ago, we’ve been getting a lot of inquiries from our followers about where they can get their Saint Lorenzo statue, so we are happy to inform all of you that you can get it through our website! Wouldn’t it look lovely in your kitchen?

We partnered with DemiArt Woodcarvings from Santa Cristina Valgardena in Italy so you can buy Saint Lorenzo statues directly from here. All you have to do is click on the image bellow and you’ll be taken directly to their store. They are beautiful wood carved statues, exactly like the one seen on the film. If you use our link, we will get a little tiny bit of the profits. You will be paying the same price. If you order your Saint Lorenzo Statue today (August 10th), you will get a 15% discount.

Kitty & Helga

In case you are not familiar with Saint Lorenzo, did you see the movie Under The Tuscan Sun? It’s about a writer who buys a villa in Tuscany to change the path of her life.

“Katherine: Terrible idea. Don’t you just love those?
—–
Frances: And the kitchen, what if there’s never anyone to cook for?
Signor Martini: It is San Lorenzo. He is the patron saint of cooks. Apparently, he was martyred on a grill and seared until he said, ‘Turn me over. I’m done on this side.’ … And now he is the favorite saint of chefs. … I think if you prayed to him, he will help you find someone to cook for”

To learn more about who Saint Lorenzo was, read on.

The esteem in which the Church holds Lorenzo is seen in the fact that this celebration ranks as a feast. We know very little about his life. He is one of those whose martyrdom made a deep and lasting impression on the early Church. Celebration of his feast day spread rapidly.

A well-known legend has persisted from earliest times. As deacon in Rome, Lorenzo was charged with the responsibility for the material goods of the Church, and the distribution of alms to the poor. When Lorenzo knew he would be arrested like the pope, he sought out the poor, widows and orphans of Rome and gave them all the money he had on hand, selling even the sacred vessels to increase the sum. When the prefect of Rome heard of this, he imagined that the Christians must have considerable treasure. He sent for Lorenzo and said, “You Christians say we are cruel to you, but that is not what I have in mind. I am told that your priests offer in gold, that the sacred blood is received in silver cups, that you have golden candlesticks at your evening services. Now, your doctrine says you must render to Caesar what is his. Bring these treasures—the emperor needs them to maintain his forces. God does not cause money to be counted: He brought none of it into the world with him—only words. Give me the money, therefore, and be rich in words.”

Lorenzo replied that the Church was indeed rich. “I will show you a valuable part. But give me time to set everything in order and make an inventory.” After three days he gathered a great number of blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned and widowed persons and put them in rows. When the prefect arrived, Lorenzo simply said, “These are the treasure of the Church.”

The prefect was so angry he told Lorenzo that he would indeed have his wish to die—but it would be by inches. He had a great gridiron prepared, with coals beneath it, and had Lawrence’s body placed on it. After the martyr had suffered the pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he made his famous cheerful remark, “It is well done. Turn me over!”

Source: americancatholic.org, images from Under The Tuscan Sun

This post is also available in / Esta entrada también está disponible en ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)