Lawrence was strung out on a grid iron over a good charcoal fire - the traditional method for extracting information from archivists. While he was being barbecued, he is said to have addressed the judge ironically: "assum est, versu et manduca." ("I am roasted enough on this side, turn me over and eat.") Thus the archivist died, defending the archives in his care. And each August 10th, the day of his martyrdom, the mummified head of St. Lawrence is displayed to show the suffering he endured to protect the archives.

St. Lawrence has a Canadian connection! It happens that the early explorer, Jacques Cartier, found himself in a bay on August 10th, the day of Lawrence's martyrdom. He named the bay the Bay of St. Lawrence, and the adjoining river the St. Lawrence river. The river became a symbol of the historical development of Canada, as the primary east-west waterway, and as a communication system uniting all of Canada, other than British Columbia, which has always maintained a contrarian spirit in its physical geography. But even a loyal British Columbian can recognize the excellence of St. Lawrence, who kept his sense of humor in tough times, who knew what to do with the gold and silver, who defended the archives, and whose river became a symbol of Canadian unity.

The icon on this St. Lawrence shrine page was created by Frank Turner, a Vancouver actor, iconographer, and husband of archivist Jan Turner.