page_title: Holy Lance
section_title: Antioch
hierarchical_section_title: Holy Lance / Relics / Antioch
context_page_description: The Holy Lance, also known as the Lance of Longinus, the Spear of Destiny, or the Holy Spear, is legendarily known as the lance that pierced the side of Jesus as he hung on the cross during his crucifixion.
context_section_description: During the June 1098 Siege of Antioch, a poor monk named Peter Bartholomew reported that he had a vision in which St. Andrew told him that the Holy Lance was buried in the Church of St. Peter in Antioch. After much digging in the cathedral, Bartholomew allegedly discovered a lance. Despite the doubts of many, including the papal legate Adhemar of Le Puy, the discovery of the Holy Lance of Antioch inspired the starving Crusaders to break the siege and secure the city.
  In the 18th century, Roman cardinal Prospero Lambertini claimed the Antiochian lance was a fake.
caption: The Discovery of the Holy Lance in Antioch
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