St. Laurence Brooch

According to the Legenda Aurea, he engaged in dispute with the emperor Decius; when he was commanded to surrender all the treasures of the Church he dispersed the wealth to the poor, and then brought a crowd of the poor, blind, and lame, and presented them as the treasure of the church. Decius had him tortured at length, and finally the saint was placed on a large gridiron over burning coals. After a while, he said to Decius “Thou cursed wretch, thou hast roasted that one side, turn that other, and eat.” And he finally gave up his spirit.

Laurence is also associated with the Holy Chalice, the cup of the Last Supper, identified by some with the Holy Grail, which he is said to have sent for safekeeping to Aragon. St. Laurence’s feast day is August 10.

Extra: a tiny Tech Treat! The second image in the gallery shows the three parts of the mold in which we cast this pilgrim sign.