CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

San Lorenzo fuori le mura

one of the papal basilicas and Pilgrim Churches of Rome

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 3, 2026
Entity authorityQ738214 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Basilica Papale di San Lorenzo fuori le mura (Papal Basilica of Saint Lawrence outside the Walls) is a Roman Catholic papal minor basilica and parish church, located in Rome, Italy. The Basilica is one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and one of the five papal basilicas (formerly called patriarchal basilicas), each of which was assigned to the care of a Latin Church patriarchate. The basilica was assigned to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The basilica is the shrine of the tomb of its namesake, Lawrence (sometimes spelt "Laurence"), one of the first seven deacons of Rome who was martyred in 258. Many other saints and Pope Pius IX are also buried at the Basilica, which is the centre of a large and ancient burial complex.

History

Before the present-day basilica was constructed, the former estate upon which it sits was once home to a small oratory built by Constantine I. The Emperor built the basilica over the site on which tradition held that Saint Lawrence was buried in 258.

The church was restored or rebuilt by Pope Damasus I, (r. 366-384) who had served there as a deacon.

In the 580s, Pope Pelagius II commissioned the construction of a church over the site in honour of Lawrence. In the 13th century, Pope Honorius III commissioned the construction of another church in front of the older one.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “San Lorenzo fuori le mura” as one of the papal basilicas and Pilgrim Churches of Rome. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current 228-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 0501-01-17. The account is most persuasive where Lorenzo, fuori and mura can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as one of the papal basilicas and Pilgrim Churches of Rome. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 3, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q738214. VIAF identifies the subject as 123599962. The Library of Congress control number is nr90016408. Authority coordinates are 41.903, 12.521. 3 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “San Lorenzo fuori le mura”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow San Lorenzo fuori le mura primary sources, San Lorenzo fuori le mura archive and Lorenzo research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “San Lorenzo fuori le mura”?
  2. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
  3. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “San Lorenzo fuori le mura” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.