San Lorenzo in Piscibus

The church's dedication is to Saint Lawrence, the Roman deacon martyr. The first document to reference it dates to 1143, at which time it was referred to as S. Laurentius in porticu maiore ("Saint Lawrence near the great portico"), referring to its vicinity to the great Portico which in the Middle Ages connected Pons Aelius with the Old St. Peter's Basilica, stretching along the Borgo. The title in piscibus, which first appeared in a 1205 bull of Pope Innocent III, translates literally to "near the fishes". The name refers either to a fish market that was operated nearby, or the Roman de Piscibus family. Other variants on the church's name are de piscibus ("of the fishes"), ad pisces ("near the fishes"), and in Borgo ("in the Borgo", the neighborhood in which it was – and still is – located). It was also called San Lorenzolo or Lorenzino, both meaning "little Saint Lawrence", to stress its tiny size. == History ==

Early traditions There is a tradition that the current church was built on the site of a church dedicated to Saint Stephen or Saint Galla of Rome, a widow of the sixth century. It was later rebuilt in honor of Saint Lawrence. Medieval and Renaissance period The mention of the church in 1143 is in the Ordo Romanus of Benedict the Canon. The church is today listed as a subsidiary worship site of the parish of Santa Maria in Traspontina. == Architecture ==

The interior of the church is divided into three naves, separated by twelve spoliated columns of grey marble. The roof is of wooden trusses, and the nave and apse are of exposed brick. A small, slender Romanesque bell tower of the twelfth century survives to the left of the façade and stands on a square plan with tall mullioned windows, with pillars on the lower level and small columns in the belfry. Above the high altar, there used to be a painting depicting the Marriage of the Virgin by Niccolò Bertoni, a student of Carlo Maratta. == Cardinal-Deacons ==

• Paul Josef Cordes (24 November 2007 – 15 March 2024) == References ==