San Lorenzo, bronze

The Patron of the Church's Riches

San Lorenzo was the Archdeacon under Pope St Sixtus in the third century. The money and property of the church were his responsibility. When the Pope and St Laurence were arrested by the Romans, Laurence was given three days in which to turn over to the emperor everything which the Church owned. Instead, he distributed it to the poor whom he later brought before the emperor, declaring "Here you have the wealth of the Church." He was condemned to death by being roasted on a gridiron.

This life-sized bronze of San Lorenzo, cast at a foundry in Pietrasanta, Italy, stands before the Cathedral of St Laurence in Amarillo, Texas. I chose not to overplay the traditional symbol of Laurence, a roasting grille which often figures prominently in representations of him. On my bronze, the grille is acknowledged in miniature on the back of the base of the statue.
Here Laurence stands before the emperor, a single coin of little worth in his outstretched hand, indicating the Church has no material wealth to give. The position of the statue before the Amarillo cathedral and its massed communicants symbolizes the words spoken by Laurence: "Here you have the wealth of the Church."

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