The Sacred Spear from Vienna (Spear of Destiny, Spear of St. Mauritius, Hofburg Spear) is one of the greatest relics of the medieval Christian world. For many centuries, along with the Armenian, Vatican and Krakow spears were considered one of the true instruments of the Passion of Christ. According to one version, the spear belonged to the Roman centurion Gaius Cassius Longinus. According to the Gospel of John, but especially the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, it was with this weapon that the centurion inflicted a "blow of mercy" on the crucified Christ, piercing his right side between the fourth and fifth ribs. Thus, the tip was believed to be saturated with the blood of Christ. According to another, later version, the spear was owned by Saint Maurice, a soldier of the Theban legion and a Christian who was martyred in Germanic lands in the 4th century.
It is believed that in its original form, the spear was approximately two human height. Only the tip 50.8 cm long and 7.9 cm wide has survived to this day. It consists of two plates, fastened with silver wire, and a sleeve with two fenders. The plates have numerous later cuts, as well as inserts and additions made of iron, copper, silver, gold and leather. A forged nail is inserted into the blade, which is also considered one of the instruments of the Passion.
The centurion pierces the right side of Jesus Christ. Fresco. Fra Beato Angelico. Around 1440. Dominican monastery in San Marco (Florence)
The history of the Viennese spear can be reliably traced from the middle of the 10th century. At a meeting in Worms in 926, the German king Henry I the Birdman received it from the Burgundian king Rudolf II in exchange for the southwestern lands of the East Frankish kingdom (in the area of modern Basel). According to the 10th century historian Liutprand of Cremona, the spear was in the possession of the German king Otto I during the famous battle of Lech against the Hungarians (955). According to Liutprand, the spear used to belong to Charlemagne, and before that to Emperor Constantine the Great, but this has not been documented in any way. Later, many emperors of the Holy Roman Empire wielded the spear. The earliest image of him is found in the Regensburg Sacramentary of the beginning of the 11th century, in miniature with a scene of the coronation of Saint Henry II. The emperor holds the sacred spear in his right hand.
A holy nail was inserted into the blade between 1084 and 1105 at the direction of Henry IV in honor of his coronation. At the same time, the Instrument of the Passion was reinforced with a silver hoop with the inscription: Clavus Dominicus + Heinricus D (ei) Gr (atia) Tertius Romano (rum) Imperator Aug (ustus) hoc argentum iussit fabricari ad confirmatione (m) clavi lancee sancti Mauricii + Sanctus Mauritius (' The Nail of the Lord + By the Grace of God, Henry III (in fact, Henry IV. - Approx. AS), the emperor of the Romans, ordered to make this silver to strengthen the Nail of the Spear of St. Mauritius + St. Mauritius'). In the XIV century, by order of the Emperor Charles IV of Luxembourg, a gold plate was installed over the nail, on which a Latin inscription was engraved: Lancea et Clavus Domini ('The Spear and the Nail of the Lord').
The sacred spear has been kept for thousands of years in different places: in Magdeburg, Prague, Nuremberg. From the end of the 18th century to the present, it has been housed in the royal treasury of the Hofburg in Vienna. Only for a short time during the Second World War, on the personal instructions of Hitler, the spear was taken to Nuremberg.
What is interesting for science: In modern science, the idea of the ancient origin of the spear is completely rejected and a later dating is accepted. According to its characteristic shape, the tip belongs to the era of the early Middle Ages. Until recently, it was dated to the Carolingian period (second half of the 8th - 9th century). However, after additional research carried out in 2003, it was established that the weapon was forged in the 7th century. The silver wire fastening the broken tip dates back to the same time. In any case, the spear could in no way belong to Longinus or even Saint Mauritius. On the contrary, the nail in length and shape corresponds to that used by the Romans at the beginning of our era.
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Analysis of the tip also showed that the spear was never used as a combat weapon, but only served symbolic and representational functions. For many centuries it has been the most important royal regalia. At other times, the spear was an even more significant attribute of the ruler's power than the crown.
Why you need to know: The attitude to the sacred spear allows you to understand the essential points of the concept of power in the Middle Ages. According to the interpretation of Saint Augustine, the Church was born from a wound in the side of Christ, and the Sacraments flowed from it. Thus, the spear was seen as a symbolic tool for the creation of the Christian church. It was believed that the ruler who possessed a spear was in the most direct connection with Christ, and his power literally acquired a divine nature and was on earth above the power of the church. In addition, the possession of a spear made the sovereign invincible, and also endowed him with a wonderful gift of foresight. The figure of such a ruler became truly exceptional, and the fate of the whole world was in his hands.
A rich mythology has developed around the spear. In particular, numerous legends attributed to him the greatest military victories of the ancient sovereigns: Constantine the Great, Theodoric, Justinian, Karl Martell, Charlemagne, Henry the Bird-catcher, and so on. In modern times, the spear has become an important artifact of European culture. It appears in a huge number of works - from Wagner's opera Parsifal to modern computer games.