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The Holy Lance is the instrument used by the Roman soldier to pierce the side of [[Jesus]] while on the cross.

'''The Holy Lance''' (also known as the '''Spear of Destiny''', '''Holy Spear''', '''Lance of Longinus''', '''Spear of Longinus''' or '''Spear of Christ''') is the instrument used by the [[Roman]] soldier to pierce the side of [[Jesus]] while he was on the cross.

The lower section of the Holy Lance was reportedly taken to [[Constantinople]] before 900 and then in 1492 taken to [[Rome]], where it remains at St. Peter's.

There are three accounts of what happened to the lance. The best known claim is that of the Constantinople relic, also known as the ''Vatican Lance''. It was found in Constantinople by St. Antoninus of Piacenza in 520 AD. By the 8th century, it had ended up in [[Paris]]. After the [[French Revolution]], the lance was moved to the [[Vatican]] and has not left Rome since.

The broken point of the Holy Lance was reportedly taken to Constantinople also, but then brought to Paris in 1241. Like other religious artifacts, it was lost or destroyed during the [[French Revolution]].

The second relic, the ''Vienna Lance'', belonged to the Holy Roman Emperors. When the French Revolutionary army was approaching Nuremberg, it was moved to Vienna for safe-keeping. On the outset of [[World War 2]], it was seized by [[Adolf Hitler]], and at the end of World War 2, it was returned to Austria by General [[George S. Patton]]. The day the lance was taken into custody by the US, Hitler committed suicide.<ref>http://web.org.uk/picasso/spear.html</ref> It is currently held in the Schatzkammer, in Vienna.

 

The third, the ''Echmiadzin Lance'', was discovered by the [[First Crusade]] in Echmiadzin, [[Armenia]]. There is no conclusive proof for what happened to the lance after this, but some believe that it fell into the hand of the Turks and is, in fact, the same lance that the Vatican currently holds.