The Perseid Meteor Shower is a yearly phenomenon that occurs between late July to mid August, when hundreds of meteorites streak across the sky in a dazzling display of ‘shooting stars’.

In Catholic countries, the Perseids are known as “Tears of Saint Lawrence”, after the Roman saint whose feast day, on August 10th, takes place at the usual peak of this ocurrence.

Saint Lawrence is, ironically, the patron saint of cooks. Legend says that after ‘pilfering’ church goods and riches and distributing them to the needy, he was sentenced to death by roasting in a gridiron — which is often depicted with him in paintings, like the one below. Even grimmer, the Perseids are said to be the grease flare-ups that flew out of this agonising fire!

Further Reading: National Geographic ( 2018). The Grisly ‘Origin Story’ Behind the Perseid Meteor Shower. Available HERE.

Image Credit: Saint Lawrence, by a painter attributed to a Spanish School (~1650). Available via ArtUK.