Tweet
İZMIR CATHOLIC CHURCH HOME TO HOLY LANCE
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
May 13 2014
İZMİR - Anadolu Agency
An İzmir church is home to relics from the era of Jesus. One of them
is the Holy Lance, which is believed to have pierced the side of Christ
The priest of the church, Stefano Negro, says the originality of
the lance was traditionally approved and sealed by the Vatican and
that the seal of the document on the history of the lance, cannot be
opened. AA Photo
The Holy Lance, which is believed by Christians to have pierced the
side of Jesus as he hung on the cross and became a legend, is being
kept in İzmir's Santissimo Rossario Catholic Church as a relic.
The priest of the church in Alsancak, Stefano Negro said the Gospel of
John mentioned the lance, known to Catholics as the Spear of Longinus.
"In the Bible, we see John's testimony. Jesus died after three hours of
pain. Everyone was surprised how fast he died because it is a painful
and long manner of execution. The Roman soldier who saw that Jesus
died and wanted to prove it pierced his side with the lance," he said.
Noting that the first state that recognized Christianity was an
Armenian state, Negro said the first relics from the life of Jesus
had been collected by Christians and these relics had been kept in
the Nakhchivan region.
He said that the Dominican priests began establishing the Catholic
society in the 1300s and the region became a Catholic area. "As of the
1600s, Armenians began migrating to the Ottoman Empire. The Dominican
priests who also sought asylum in the Ottoman Empire in the 1720s
moved to İzmir with relics. They were hosted in the Saint Polycarp
Church with the relics and the holy lance for many years. Then the
lance was taken to the Santissimo Rossario Catholic Church, which
was established 110 years ago," he said.
Vatican-approved relic
Negro said the relics had been moved throughout history, and continued:
"We don't have a mathematical proof, but it was determined that the
lance dates back to the 1st century. What was told and the wound
of Jesus confirm the holy lance according to the church. There are
three known holy lances; we know that one of them is in our church
in Vienna. Nobody knows which one is the original."
There are three classes of sacred relics. The first-class is a part of
the saint's body, the second-class is a piece of the saint's clothing
or something used by the saint, while the third-class is an object
which has been touched to a first-class relic. The class of the lance
in the İzmir church is not clear.
Feeling the pain Jesus suffered
Churches were raven for relics in the Middle Ages, said Negro, adding,
"Churches were considered as rich as their relics."
He said some religious scholars who had examined the lance in their
church were sure that it was the original mentioned in the mythos and
this claim was officially documented in the 1800s. "The originality
of the lance was traditionally approved and sealed by the Vatican
and the seal of the document, which tells the history of the lance,
cannot be opened."
Negro said the legend of lance dated back to the 3rd-4th centuries
and the approval dated back to the 15th century.
The relics meant respect for their society, said Negro, and the
Spear of Longinus reminded of the pain Jesus had suffered. "While
commemorating the day when Jesus died, we put the lance's protective
case on the altar. After the prayer, we decorated the holy lance
with flowers. In this way, we show believers Jesus' pain better,"
Negro said.
May/13/2014
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/izmir-catholic-hurch-home-to-holy-lance.aspx?PageID=238&NID=66352&NewsCatID=393
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
May 13 2014
İZMİR - Anadolu Agency
An İzmir church is home to relics from the era of Jesus. One of them
is the Holy Lance, which is believed to have pierced the side of Christ
The priest of the church, Stefano Negro, says the originality of
the lance was traditionally approved and sealed by the Vatican and
that the seal of the document on the history of the lance, cannot be
opened. AA Photo
The Holy Lance, which is believed by Christians to have pierced the
side of Jesus as he hung on the cross and became a legend, is being
kept in İzmir's Santissimo Rossario Catholic Church as a relic.
The priest of the church in Alsancak, Stefano Negro said the Gospel of
John mentioned the lance, known to Catholics as the Spear of Longinus.
"In the Bible, we see John's testimony. Jesus died after three hours of
pain. Everyone was surprised how fast he died because it is a painful
and long manner of execution. The Roman soldier who saw that Jesus
died and wanted to prove it pierced his side with the lance," he said.
Noting that the first state that recognized Christianity was an
Armenian state, Negro said the first relics from the life of Jesus
had been collected by Christians and these relics had been kept in
the Nakhchivan region.
He said that the Dominican priests began establishing the Catholic
society in the 1300s and the region became a Catholic area. "As of the
1600s, Armenians began migrating to the Ottoman Empire. The Dominican
priests who also sought asylum in the Ottoman Empire in the 1720s
moved to İzmir with relics. They were hosted in the Saint Polycarp
Church with the relics and the holy lance for many years. Then the
lance was taken to the Santissimo Rossario Catholic Church, which
was established 110 years ago," he said.
Vatican-approved relic
Negro said the relics had been moved throughout history, and continued:
"We don't have a mathematical proof, but it was determined that the
lance dates back to the 1st century. What was told and the wound
of Jesus confirm the holy lance according to the church. There are
three known holy lances; we know that one of them is in our church
in Vienna. Nobody knows which one is the original."
There are three classes of sacred relics. The first-class is a part of
the saint's body, the second-class is a piece of the saint's clothing
or something used by the saint, while the third-class is an object
which has been touched to a first-class relic. The class of the lance
in the İzmir church is not clear.
Feeling the pain Jesus suffered
Churches were raven for relics in the Middle Ages, said Negro, adding,
"Churches were considered as rich as their relics."
He said some religious scholars who had examined the lance in their
church were sure that it was the original mentioned in the mythos and
this claim was officially documented in the 1800s. "The originality
of the lance was traditionally approved and sealed by the Vatican
and the seal of the document, which tells the history of the lance,
cannot be opened."
Negro said the legend of lance dated back to the 3rd-4th centuries
and the approval dated back to the 15th century.
The relics meant respect for their society, said Negro, and the
Spear of Longinus reminded of the pain Jesus had suffered. "While
commemorating the day when Jesus died, we put the lance's protective
case on the altar. After the prayer, we decorated the holy lance
with flowers. In this way, we show believers Jesus' pain better,"
Negro said.
May/13/2014
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/izmir-catholic-hurch-home-to-holy-lance.aspx?PageID=238&NID=66352&NewsCatID=393