St. Lawrence

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In the Paradiso, the saint is invoked as an emblematic example of a whole will capable of not yielding to external violence. Dante associates him with the pagan hero Mucius Scaevola to illustrate how man, if he wishes, can resist any torment. The note to the verse specifies that Lawrence is a martyr venerated throughout Christianity, whose name is borne by one of the major Roman basilicas; of Spanish origin, a deacon in Rome, he was burned alive on a gridiron during the persecution of Valerian in 258. The Dantesque citation, condensed into a single verse, emphasizes his strenuous strength of soul, represented by the verb "held" which shows him steadfast on the blazing gridiron. The mention is part of Beatrice's discourse on the truths of faith, without placing the saint in a precise celestial setting: the verses evoke him exclusively as an exemplum of constancy and moral integrity, on a par with the sacrifice of Mucius Scaevola before Porsenna.