• Under this altar are the relics of St. Stephen, St. Lawrence, and St. Justin Martyr

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• The story of St. Stephen (5-36) can be found in Acts of the Apostles 6:1-8:1. After he preaches the resurrected Jesus, he is stoned to death by the Jewish authorities. He is often call the protomartyr which, in Greek, simply means the first martyr. His relics were brought from the East and placed here by Pope Pelagius (578-590)

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• The story of St. Lawrence (225-258) can be found in the Liber Peristephanon dated around 400. He is said to have been martyred in Rome on a hot gridiron. After his death, St. Cyriaca (249 d.), a Roman woman, buried St. Lawrence on this site.

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• A few of the writings of St. Justin Martyr (100-165) have been preserved. St. Justin was a pagan philosopher who eventually became Christian and went on to defend the faith until he was martyred in Rome.

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