Laurence

ON ST. LAURENCE, BISHOP,

AT NAPLES IN CAMPANIA.

The Saint's cult, and the time of his episcopate.

ABOUT THE YEAR 717.

Laurence, Bishop, at Naples in Campania (S.)

BY THE AUTHOR G. C.

The most Eminent Lord Decio Carafa, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church and archbishop of Naples, in the Catalogue of the Saints, which he published at Naples in the year 1619, prescribes that the feast of this holy Prelate be celebrated thus: The 19th of July, The Saint's cult is proved from the Neapolitan catalogue, St. Laurence, bishop of Naples. Double. All from the common of a confessor pontiff. Mass from the common without the creed. Then the ancient veneration of that Saint is thus proved in the same place: That this holy Prelate was formerly venerated eminently at Naples, his image declares, on the wall of the archiepiscopal church, marked with a radiated diadem, and with this ancient inscription, which exists even today: St. Laurence the bishop sat 15 years, 6 months. His sacred body was translated from the church outside the walls to the cathedral, and honorably laid up in a chapel on the right of the high altar together with the body of St. Athanasius the bishop, which formerly had been buried with the same St. Laurence IN THE ORATORY (as is read in an ancient manuscript codex) of Laurence, the holy and confessor of Christ, prelate of the same see. This last testimony of the cult is read above in this volume, page 86, where we illustrated the Acts of St. Athanasius, bishop of Naples.

[2] Bartolommeo Chioccarello in the Catalogue of the prelates of the church of Naples, page 66, hands down the following concerning our holy Prelate: and from Chioccarello, St. Laurence, bishop of Naples, presided about the year 713. But we believe that his Acts have perished, since neither in the monuments of the major church, nor in the private and other monuments of the city, accurately searched, could we find them. Nevertheless, in ancient times famous was the oratory of this holy Laurence in the sacred building of St. Januarius, placed outside the walls of Naples for the tombs of distinguished men, who are recorded to have been laid up in it: for there, besides the same Laurence, the holy John and Athanasius, his successors, are reckoned to have been buried. Of that oratory in the Acts of St. Athanasius mention is made in these words: They delivered the body of St. Athanasius to a most diligent and worthy burial in the Oratory of the holy confessor of Christ Laurence, prelate of the same see, near the cave of the most sacred John, his Predecessor and Nourisher. Since therefore Laurence had sat fifteen years, he fell asleep in the Lord in the year 729 (this year we shall soon examine), and his memory and image with a most ancient inscription are still in the metropolitan church near the memory of St. Julian the bishop, in this manner: St. Laurence the bishop sat 15 years, 8 months … His sacred body is by report kept in the cathedral church under the altar of the chapel of the holy Savior with the pledges of St. Athanasius the bishop. He flourished in the times of Constantine and Gregory the Second, Roman Pontiffs, and of Philip, Anastasius, Theodosius, and Leo the Isaurian, emperors. Mention is made also of St. Laurence by John the Deacon in the Chronicle of the bishops of Naples, whom he says sat fifteen years, eight months, and twenty-six days. There is also mention of St. Laurence in the Acts of Sergius his successor. Thus far Chioccarello.

[3] Now those things must be briefly discussed in which Chioccarello differs from the above narration and from other writers. in whose narration concerning the duration, First, to the duration of the episcopate Chioccarello assigns 15 years and 8 months, from the inscription given above, in which nevertheless others read only 15 years and 6 months. Whence Antonio Caracciolo, in the book on the monuments of the church of Naples, chapter 31, page 343, thus confidently pronounces: When Laurence had ruled the church of Naples 15 years and 6 months, he passed over to the heavenly ones, and was buried in the oratory called from his name, which is said to have been in the building of St. Januarius outside the walls. The Acts of St. Athanasius indicate it. But when it was translated into the metropolitan church, in which also his image is seen painted on the wall, and placed together with the sacred ashes of Athanasius, is uncertain. The same things from Caracciolo Ughelli transcribed, volume 6 of Italia Sacra, column 85. But concerning the duration of the episcopate I judge that we must adhere to the opinion of Chioccarello, because John the Deacon in the Chronicle of the bishops of Naples, which our Beatillo, copied from the Vatican library, sent to Henschenius, speaks thus expressly: St. Laurence, the 35th bishop, sat 15 years, 8 months, 26 days.

[4] and the beginning and end of the episcopate I observe besides that Chioccarello differs from other authors in fixing the beginning and end of the Laurentian chair: for he defers his death up to the year 729, and asserts that he flourished in the times of Constantine and Gregory the Second, Roman Pontiffs, and of Philip, Anastasius, Theodosius, and Leo the Isaurian, emperors. Meanwhile John the Deacon in the Chronicle already mentioned writes thus expressly of St. Laurence: He was in the times of Pope John, and Tiberius and Justinian the Second with his son Tiberius, Augusti; and also Philippicus, Anastasius, and Theodosius, emperors. You see that here Leo the Isaurian is not recorded, who came to the empire in the year of Christ 717, and so it is quite probable that St. Laurence died before this year. To this our opinion Caracciolo is favorable, who in the place just cited, correcting a grave parachronism of Eugenio, affirms that the holy Prelate died at the beginning of the pontificate of Gregory II, namely in the year 716, when that Gregory was in the second year of his pontificate. We think it therefore more probable that St. Laurence held the chair of Naples from the year 701 up to 716.

[5] some things are examined. Our opinion is confirmed from the praised John the Deacon, who of the predecessor of our Saint writes thus in the Chronicle: Julian, the 34th bishop, sat 7 years, 3 months. He was in the times of Pope Sergius, and of Leo [*] the Augustus, up to the fourth year of Tiberius the emperor. But the fourth year of Tiberius Apsimarus falls in the year of Christ 701, in which St. Laurence could succeed Julian, prelate of Naples. And in this way the several words of John the Deacon are easily explained, as will appear to one who considers them. Little from our reckoning departs Ughelli, volume 6 of Italia Sacra, column 85, where he fixes the beginning of the Laurentian episcopate in the year 702. These few things (I conclude with the words of Caracciolo) concerning Laurence have reached us, destitute of the help of ancient codices. Would that we had suffered this loss of the monuments of the church of Naples in Laurence alone! We grieve and groan that it happened in other bishops too.

* Read: Leontius.