# Holy Nail > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Holy_Nail > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Holy_Nail.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Nail > Source revision: 1348926624 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Christian relics believed to be the nails used in Jesus's crucifixion}} [[File:2018 Trier, Domschatzkammer, Reliquiar des hl Nagels 1.jpg|thumb|Holy Nail [reliquary](/source/reliquary) in the [Treasury of Trier Cathedral](/source/Treasury_of_Trier_Cathedral)]] [Relics](/source/Relics_attributed_to_Jesus) that are claimed to be the '''Holy Nails''' with which [Jesus was crucified](/source/Crucifixion_of_Jesus) are objects of [veneration](/source/Veneration_of_relics) among some [Christians](/source/Christians), particularly [Roman Catholics](/source/Catholic_Church) and the [Eastern Orthodox](/source/Eastern_Orthodox). In [Christian symbolism](/source/Christian_symbolism) and [art](/source/Christian_art), they figure among the {{lang|la|[Arma Christi](/source/Arma_Christi)}} or Instruments of the Passion, the objects associated with the [Passion of Jesus](/source/Passion_of_Jesus). Like the other Instruments, the Holy Nails have become an object of veneration among many Christians and have been pictured in paintings. The authenticity of these relics is doubtful. The ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' wrote:{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10672a.htm |title=Holy Nails |encyclopedia=[Catholic Encyclopedia](/source/Catholic_Encyclopedia) |access-date=2018-06-13}} {{blockquote|Very little reliance can be placed upon the authenticity of the thirty or more holy nails which are still venerated, or which have been venerated until recent times, in such treasuries as that of Santa Croce in Rome, or those of Venice, Aachen, the Escurial, Nuremberg, Prague, etc. Probably the majority began by professing to be facsimiles which had touched or contained filings from some other nail whose claim was more ancient. Without conscious fraud on the part of anyone, it is very easy for imitations in this way to come in a very brief space of time to be reputed originals.}} It is not clear whether Jesus was crucified with three or with four nails, and the question has been long debated. The belief that three nails were used is called [Triclavianism](/source/Triclavianism). ==The bridle and helmet of Constantine == [Sozomen](/source/Sozomen) and [Theodoret](/source/Theodoret) reported that when [Helena](/source/Helena_(empress)), the mother of [Constantine the Great](/source/Constantine_the_Great), discovered the [True Cross](/source/True_Cross) in [Jerusalem](/source/Jerusalem) in the fourth century AD, the Holy Nails were recovered as well. Helena left all but a few fragments of the cross in the [Church of the Holy Sepulchre](/source/Church_of_the_Holy_Sepulchre) in Jerusalem, but returned with the nails to [Constantinople](/source/Constantinople). As Theodoret tells it in his ''Ecclesiastical History'', chapter xvii: {{quote|The mother of the emperor, on learning the accomplishment of her desire, gave orders that a portion of the nails should be inserted in the royal helmet, in order that the head of her son might be preserved from the darts of his enemies. The other portion of the nails she ordered to be formed into the bridle of his horse, not only to ensure the safety of the emperor, but also to fulfil an ancient prophecy; for long before Zechariah, the prophet, had predicted that 'There shall be upon the bridles of the horses Holiness unto the Lord Almighty.'}} The fifth-century church historian [Socrates of Constantinople](/source/Socrates_of_Constantinople) wrote in his ''Ecclesiastical History'', which was finished shortly after 439,{{efn|The history breaks off at 439.}} that after Constantine was proclaimed [Caesar](/source/Caesar_(title)) and then Emperor, he ordered that all honor be paid to his mother Helena, to make up for the neglect paid her by her former husband, [Constantius Chlorus](/source/Constantius_Chlorus). After her conversion to Christianity, Constantine sent her on a quest to find the cross and nails used to crucify [Jesus](/source/Jesus). A Jew called [Judas](/source/Judas_Cyriacus) (in later retellings further called Judas Cyriacus) led her to the place where they were buried. Several [miracle](/source/miracle)s were claimed to prove the authenticity of these items, and Helena returned with a piece of the cross and the nails. Socrates wrote that one nail was used to make a [bridle](/source/bridle) and one was used to make the [Helmet of Constantine](/source/Helmet_of_Constantine). Two relics exist that have the form of a bridle and are claimed to be the bridle of Constantine: one in the apse of the [Cathedral of Milan](/source/Cathedral_of_Milan), and the other in the cathedral treasury of [Carpentras Cathedral](/source/Carpentras_Cathedral). The [Iron Crown of Lombardy](/source/Iron_Crown_of_Lombardy) has been said to contain one of the nails; however, scientific analysis has shown that the crown contains no iron.{{cite journal |url=http://prometeo.sif.it/papers/online/sag/018/01-02/pdf/07.pdf |first1=M. |last1=Milazzo |first2=P. |last2=Sardella |title=Analisi XRF quantitativa nelle applicazioni archeometriche |journal=Fisica E |language=it |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016181054/http://prometeo.sif.it/papers/online/sag/018/01-02/pdf/07.pdf |archive-date=2017-10-16}} The band that was supposed to have been formed from a nail is actually 99% silver. ==Nails venerated as those of Jesus's crucifixion== [[File:Reliquary of the Holy Nail (1360-80) - Santa Maria della Scalla - Siena 2016 (2).jpg|thumb|Holy Nail in [Santa Maria della Scala](/source/Santa_Maria_della_Scala_(Siena)) in [Siena](/source/Siena)]] There are a number of extant nails venerated as those used in the crucifixion of Jesus: *In the Basilica of [Santa Croce in Gerusalemme](/source/Santa_Croce_in_Gerusalemme) in Rome (spike of a nail).{{Cite book |last=Peter |first=Chandlery |title=Pilgrim-walks in Rome: A Guide to the Holy Places in the City and Its Vicinity |publisher=B. Herder Book Company |year=1903 |pages=162}} *In the [Holy Lance](/source/Holy_Lance) of the German imperial regalia in the [Hofburg Palace](/source/Hofburg_Palace) in Vienna.{{Cite journal |last=Herbert |first=Francis |title=The Cost of the Great War |journal=Popular Science Monthly |volume=88 |pages=398}} *In the [Iron Crown of Lombardy](/source/Iron_Crown_of_Lombardy) in the [Cathedral of Monza](/source/Cathedral_of_Monza).{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=William |title=A Dictionary of Christian Antiquities: Comprising the History, Institutions, and Antiquities of the Christian Church, from the Time of the Apostles to the Age of Charlemagne · Volume 1 |publisher=J. Murray |year=1875 |edition=1st |pages=507}} *In the [treasury of Trier Cathedral](/source/treasury_of_Trier_Cathedral).{{Cite book |last=Baxter |first=Ron |title=The Royal Abbey of Reading |date=2016 |publisher=The Boydell Press |isbn=978-1-78327-084-2 |series=Boydell studies in medieval art and architecture |location=Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK |pages=48}} *In [Bamberg Cathedral](/source/Bamberg_Cathedral) (middle part of a nail).{{Cite book |last=Charles |first=Read |title=The Waddesdon Bequest: Jewels, Plate, and Other Works of Art Bequeathed by Baron Ferdinand Rothschild |publisher=order of the trustees and sold at the Museum |year=1927 |pages=19}} *In the form of a [bridle](/source/bridle), in the apse of the [Cathedral of Milan](/source/Cathedral_of_Milan) (see [Rito della Nivola](/source/Rito_della_Nivola)).{{Cite journal |last=Stewart |first=Pamela A. V. |date=2015-01-01 |title=Ritual Viewing in the Chapel of Corpus Christi: Bernardino Luini's Passion Cycle for the Church of San Giorgio al Palazzo, Milan |url=https://www.academia.edu/2630777/Ritual_Viewing_in_the_Chapel_of_Corpus_Christi_Bernardino_Luinis_Passion_Cycle_for_the_Church_of_San_Giorgio_al_Palazzo_Milan |journal=The Sacralization of Space and Behavior in the Early Modern World, ed. Jennifer M. DeSilva.}} *In the form of a [bridle](/source/bridle), in the cathedral treasury of [Carpentras](/source/Carpentras_Cathedral).{{Cite book |last=Sabine |first=Gould |title=The Lives of the Saints |publisher=J. Hodges |year=1873 |edition=1st |pages=62}} *In the [monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena](/source/monastery_of_San_Nicol%C3%B2_l'Arena) in [Catania](/source/Catania) (head of a nail). *In the cathedral of [Colle di Val d'Elsa](/source/Colle_di_Val_d'Elsa), near [Siena](/source/Siena). *In the [Milevsko](/source/Milevsko) monastery in the [Czech Republic](/source/Czech_Republic), discovered in 2020 in hidden vault.[https://english.radio.cz/nail-believed-be-part-cross-christ-discovered-milevsko-8703707 Nail believed to be part of Cross of Christ discovered in Milevsko], Radio Prague International (December 22, 2020). ==Notes== {{notelist}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10672a.htm Holy Nails] article in the [Catholic Encyclopedia](/source/Catholic_Encyclopedia). *[http://www.ichrusa.com/saintsalive/constant.htm Saints Alive! Relics of Constantine, and his mother, St. Helen] Category:Christian symbols Category:Relics associated with Jesus Category:Nail (fastener) Category:Helena, mother of Constantine I --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Holy Nail](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Nail) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Nail?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.