The church of San Lorenzo in Panisperna is a Roman Catholic church on Via Panisperna, Rome, central Italy. It was previously known as "San Lorenzo in Formoso". It was erected on the site of its dedicatee's martyrdom. It is one of several churches in Rome dedicated to him.

Name

"Panisperna" most probably refers to the tradition of the Poor Clares of the adjacent convent distributing bread and ham, "''panis et perna''" in Latin on 10 August, the Feast of

St. Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman ...

, in remembrance of his distribution of funds of the Church to the poor. The previous name of the church "in Formoso" referred to Pope Formosus who erected the first attested church on its site.

History

Tradition states that the first edifice on the site was constructed during the reign of Emperor

Constantine I Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterranea ...

, only 100 years after the martyrdom of

. In the fifth century, this church was one of the Stational Churches of Rome that the Pope visited on its titular day: the Thursday of the first week in

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

. Recent popes have revived this ancient custom. The first written evidence of an ecclesiastical edifice on the site is from 1300, when

Pope Boniface VIII Pope Boniface VIII ( la, Bonifatius PP. VIII; born Benedetto Caetani, c. 1230 – 11 October 1303) was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 to his death in 1303. The Caetani, Caetani family was of b ...

rebuilt the church and annexed an abbey to it. That abbey was given to the

Benedictines , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

in 1451 and later hosted the Poor Clares. They were removed in February 1872 as part of the confiscations of the new Italian government, but were restored through the efforts of

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

Jacopo Colonna in 1896, who also restored the church and abbey. The Franciscans presently serve the church. The present church is the result of a rebuilding by

Carlo Rainaldi Carlo Rainaldi (4 May 1611 – 8 February 1691) was an Italian architect of the Baroque period. Biography 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 f ...

in 1575-6 under Pope Gregory XIII. At this time it became denominated "in Panisperna", rather than "in Formoso", and its present facade was constructed. A new, outer

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

was added in the 17th century, then restored and decorated with images of

and St. Francis of Assisi in 1893-4 by Pope Leo XIII, who in 1843 had been ordained bishop in the church. Pope Leo XIII also constructed a steep flight of steps in front of the church that led to a tree-lined courtyard. A modern, bronze statue of

St. Bridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden (c. 1303 – 23 July 1373) born as Birgitta Birgersdotter, also Birgitta of Vadstena, or Saint Birgitta ( sv, heliga Birgitta), was a Mysticism, mystic and a saint, and she was also the founder of the Bridgettines nuns and mon ...

adorns this courtyard. A medieval house is preserved adjacent to the church; it has an exterior staircase that renders it one of the few such houses to be preserved in Rome.

Interiors

The church has a single nave with three chapels on each side. A late 16th-century fresco of the ''Matryrdom of St. Lawrence'' serves as the

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...

of the high altar and was painted by

Pasquale Cati Pasquale Cati (c. 1550–c. 1620) was an Italian Mannerist painter active mostly in Rome. Born in Jesi, Cati moved to Rome, where he was known as a follower, if not pupil, of Michelangelo, and later of Federico Zuccari. Among his works are ...

, a pupil of

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...

. The crucifix of the high altar is from the 14th century. The south side includes a painting of ''

St. Clare of Assisi Clare of Assisi (born Chiara Offreduccio and sometimes spelled Clara, Clair, Claire, Sinclair; 16 July 1194 – 11 August 1253) was an Italian saint and one of the first followers of Francis of Assisi. She founded the Order of Poor Ladies, ...

'' by Antonio Nessi (1756); a ceiling fresco of the ''Glory of St. Lawrence'' by

Antonio Bicchierai Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

; the tomb of the brothers St. Crispin and St. Crispinianus, with a painting by Giovanni Francesco Romano; and a painting of the Immaculate Conception by Giuseppe Ranucci. The north side includes the '' Stigmata of St. Francis'' by

Niccolò Lapiccola Niccolò Lapiccola (7 February 1727 – 3 February 1790) was an Italian painter. He was born in Crotone and took lessons at Rome from Francesco Mancini. He supplied the designs for the mosaics for one of the chapels of St. Peter's Basilica. One ...

; an 18th-century crucifix of the Roman school; and the chapel of

, in which she was buried before her body was translated to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. St. Bridget used to beg for alms for the poor outside the church and prayed before the crucifix by its high altar. Presently, a martyr named Victoria is interred underneath the altar of the chapel. The painting of "St. Bridget Praying before the Crucifix" is by Giuseppe Montesanti (1757). Under the porch of the church is a chapel containing the oven that is believed to have been that used for the martyrdom of

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* Michael Michai Kitbunchu (1983.02.02 - present) *

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(1901.04.18 – 1919.07.03) *

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References

San Lorenzo in Panisperna

External links

{{Authority control Lorenzo In Panisperna Lorenzo In Panisperna Renaissance architecture in Rome Lorenzo in Panisperna, San