Cripta con le reliquie di San Lorenzo

I'm adding this pilgrimage site to Maps and writing my FIRST review (despite Bovino) because he is a highly revered saint, and Romans—especially those from the neighborhood named after him—are deeply devoted to him. The ancient basilica is the result of extensive restoration work undertaken after the extensive damage caused by the Allies in World War II. However, the crypt, accessed by a staircase beneath the presbytery and the main altar, was created during Vespignani's renovation of the basilica in the early second half of the 19th century. Through an archaeological restoration, he restored the basilica to the appearance given to it by Pelagius. On that occasion, he placed the remains of St. Lawrence in this underground chapel, along with those of St. Stephen and St. Justin (his martyred contemporaries), creating this crypt as a "confession." Very evocative, it allows you to walk around it counterclockwise, but it has a peculiarity that few people notice: behind the small chapel accessed from the central hall, there is a slab leaning against the structure and accessed through the portico preceding the funerary monument to Blessed Pius IX. This slab has large stains that have been interpreted as bloodstains and—according to tradition—are the blood shed by the saint during his martyrdom. (To dispel any doubt, Pius IX himself, who today rests directly opposite, had them analyzed, and they were undoubtedly identified as human blood and fat.) To admire the relics, you must insert a coin to activate the timed illumination. Very evocative, it is a place of prayer and must be respected. Need some useful information? Then leave a like and check out other reviews of Rome and beyond.