Saint Lawrence

God in majesty

Although only partly preserved, the archfield of the eastern choir revealed a remarkable God in majesty. This Byzantine style mural is of exceptional value. Christ was traditionally surrounded by the four evangelists’ symbols; in Ename only John’s eagle remains. Christ appears as an authoritarian, sovereign king, an effect heightened by the use of costly blue lapis lazuli, presumably from Afghanistan.

Mary with Child

A core notion of Christian faith is Christ’s incarnation, reflected in Mary with Child. In a blind arch of the western choir, a monumental mural of Our Lady was found: her bright red mantle and headpiece mark her high status. Though fragmentary, it shows a distant Mother of God, standing and solemnly carrying Christ on her left arm. They do not look at each other, emphasising the sacred distance.

Murals

In two window alcoves of the eastern choir, one retrieved the eldest murals. The statue was deeply disturbed by later interventions. Still, we can see two lockets painted in red. Central every time, is the bust of each figure that respectively carries two loaves of bread and a big fish. In its simple beauty, the painting refers to a remarkable miracle where Jesus provides a crowd of people with the meager stock of five loaves of bread and two fish by multiplying them thousand- fold.

Saint Lawrence

Saint Lawrence, patron of the church, was one of Rome’s seven deacons who gave his life for the poor. Born in Spain, he reached Italy young. During Valerian’s persecution, Lawrence, the pope and the other deacons were captured; while the others were killed, Lawrence was interrogated, flogged and roasted, dying on 10 August 258. As deacon responsible for the care of books, he became patron of the poor and of librarians.

Saint Lawrence altar

After the iconoclasm, Catholicism restored itself and three new altars were added, including one for Saint Lawrence. The current altar (1907) shows two scenes: left, Lawrence distributing church goods to the poor to prevent confiscation by the emperor; right, his martyrdom on the fire. Hence he is often depicted with the glowing grid, the instrument of his torture.

Download the plan of the remarkable elements