Just as the birth of Jesus marked a before and after in humanity, so did his death. The believers of the Catholic faith know exactly the details of the passion and death of Christ and the elements that were part of his ordeal, such as the cross and the spear of Longinus.
The spear of Longinus is, according to legend, the spear with which the Roman soldier Longinus penetrated the side of Jesus to ensure his death. The first references made to the spear of Longinus are reflected in the biblical stories where it is described as the means to certify the death of Jesus; its use was not usual in crucifixions, but in that case it was used as to ensure that Jesus would not die until the Sabbathor, holy day for the Jews.
However, another fact originated as a consequence of the crucifixion marked the legendary destiny of the spear. Some references in the gospel provide more details and specify that Gaius Cassius Longinus was the soldier who held it, and when passing through the body of Jesus he received a splash of blood that cured him of the partial blindness that he sufferedcausing Longinus to convert to Christianity.
As a consequence of the above, other beliefs and myths were woven around the spear that ensured that: «whoever holds it in his hands, will hold, for better or for worse, the destiny of the world.» Spear of Longinus, also known as the Spear of Destiny, also carried a curse that ensured: «whoever separated from it was destined to defeat.»
According to data provided by the historian who studies the subject, Jesús Hernández: “tradition states that in the year 732 General Carlos Martel held it when he defeated the Arabs at the Battle of Poitiers. Charlemagne himself, grandson of Charles Martel, would fight a total of 47 battles without ever knowing defeat, but he died shortly after the relic was accidentally dropped from him.
Surely the spear got followers, among whom were men who sought world domination through terror and weaponslike Hitler himself, who was not only looking for it because of its historical importance, like the Holy Grail or the Ark of the Covenant, but because he was convinced that its powers would be useful for his plans to dominate the world.
For many years the whereabouts of the spear was an enigma and finally became part of the jewels of the Habsburg dynasty in Vienna, from where Hitler moved it to Germany, but with the defeat of the Nazi army it was returned to the Hofburg Palace.
As with objects related to Christianity, there are other versions of the Lance of Longinus; some affirm that the original is preserved in the chapel of San Pedro, while others claim that the mighty spear is in Armenia.