Category:Longinus (subject)

BACK TO THE PEOPLE--INDEX

Longinus was, according to Christian tradition, the name of the unnamed Roman soldier who according to the Gospel of John pierced Jesus of Nazareth on the cross with his spear.

< Fiction : Longinus (art) -- Longinus (cinema) -- Longinus (literature) -- Longinus (music) -/- Longinus (arch-fi) >

Overview

Christian tradition gave a name (Longinus) and an identity to the unnamed Roman soldier mentioned in the Gospel of John. The character was identified with the Roman centurion present at the Crucifixion of Jesus. The legend grew over the centuries to the point that he was said to have converted to Christianity after the Crucifixion, and began being traditionally venerated as a saint.

Relics of the Holy Lance

Relics of the spear used by Longinus to pierce were venerated in several churches, notably, in Vienna, Armenia, and in the Vatican. See the Holy Lance.

Relics of the Holy Blood] of Jesus

According to another legend, Longinus caught some of the Holy Blood of Jesus and preserved it in a leaden box, which later he buried at Mantua [Italy]. Being miraculously discovered in 804, the relic was solemnly exalted by Pope Leo III, but again buried during the Hungarian and Norman invasions. In 1048 it was re-discovered and solemnly exalted by Pope Leo IX in the presence of the emperor, Henry III, and many other dignitaries. The relic was divided into three parts, one of which remained at Mantua (in the Basilica of Sant'Andrea), the other the Pope took to Rome, and the third was given to the Emperor, Henry III. Henry III bequeathed his share of the relic to Baldwin V, Count of Flanders, who gave it to his daughter Juditha. After her marriage to Welf I, Duke of Bavaria, Juditha presented the relic to Weingarten Abbey near Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg [Germany], where the relic is still preserved.