A Vienna research team has published the first full, non-invasive metallographic map of the “Holy Lance” kept in the Hofburg Palace treasury, revealing that its core blade was forged in the late eighth century and rebuilt in a series of medieval repair campaigns, according to project notes by the Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science (VIAS).
The researchers combined micro–X-ray-fluorescence imaging, scanning-electron microscopy and high-resolution radiography to examine every component of the composite relic without removing material. Elemental maps show a low-carbon iron matrix typical of Carolingian “winged” lances, while weld seams in the break zone contain higher-phosphorus wrought iron characteristic of eleventh-century central-European repair work.
The artifact has been revered since the High Middle Ages as the very lance wielded by the Roman centurion Longinus, who—according to John 19:34—pierced Jesus’ side at the Crucifixion. Latin inscriptions added under Emperor Henry IV (1084-1105) and Charles IV (c. 1354) explicitly label the blade as the “LANCEA ET CLAVVS DOMINI” (“the Lord’s lance and nail”), cementing its identity as a Passion relic and transferring it from St. Maurice’s lance to the Spear of Longinus in imperial inventories.
The VIAS scan narrows the original forging date to the second half of the 700s CE—seven centuries after the events of Good Friday—while also plotting three later restoration phases that inserted a presumed Holy-Nail pin and reinforced the break with silver and gold cuffs. These data align with earlier spot-tests by the Kunsthistorisches Museum, which likewise placed the blade in the Carolingian period.
The full analytical dataset will be deposited in an open repository once the team’s article is submitted to Archaeometry, VIAS said. Curators at the Kunsthistorisches Museum plan to review conservation protocols when the peer-reviewed results become available.
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