of the Church. The Prefect granted him three days. Lawrence went all over the city, seeking out in every street the poor who were supported by the church. On the third day, he gathered together a great number of them before the Church and placed them in rows, the decrepit, the blind, the lame, the maimed, the lepers, orphans, widows, and virgins. He invited the Prefect to come and see the treasures of the Church and conducted him to the place. The Prefect was furious at the sight and threatened Lawrence against such action and asked him to show him the treasures according to his promise. Lawrence explained to him that they were the real riches of the Church. The materialistic Prefect was only insulted and in his rage ordered Lawrence to be put to death in a slow and torturous manner. He ordered a great gridiron to be made ready. Lawrence was stripped, extended, and bound with chains upon the gridiron over a slow fire. He was broiled little by little. His face appeared beautiful, radiating extraordinary light. Great must have been the tranquility which he enjoyed even when he was being subjected to the torture. He only prayed for the conversion of the city of Rome and lifted his eyes up towards heaven and breathed his last. Several senators, who were present at his death, were so powerfully moved by his tender piety and his indifference towards the torture inflicted on him, that they became Christians on the spot. These noblemen took up the martyr's body on their shoulders, and gave it an honourable burial in the Veran field, near the road to Tibur, on 10 August 258. The Shrine We learn that the shrine of St. Lawrence at Attur — Karkala parish seems to have been in existence even before 1759. History tells us that the Christians of this place too were among those who suffered captivity of Tippu Sultan from 1784 to 1799 AD The parish church in those days was situated at a place about 7 kilometers away from the present church. Tippu destroyed it and took the Christians to Shrirangapatna as captives. Those Christians who returned after freedom from captivity built a church with thatched roof on the way toakre in the year 1801. under the leadership of a Goan priest. In the year 1839 it was replaced by another building. It was about