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Longinus
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Key Information
Longinus (Greek: Λογγίνος) is the name of the Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus with a lance, who in apostolic and some modern Christian traditions is described as a convert to Christianity.[4] His name first appeared in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus.[5] The lance is called in Catholic Christianity the "Holy Lance" (lancea) and the story is related in the Gospel of John during the Crucifixion.[6] This act is said to have created the last of the Five Holy Wounds of Christ.
This person, unnamed in the Gospels, is further identified in some versions of the story as the centurion present at the Crucifixion, who said that Jesus was the son of God,[7] so he is considered as one of the first Christians and Roman converts. Longinus's legend grew over the years to the point that he was said to have converted to Christianity after the Crucifixion, and he is traditionally venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, and several other Christian communions.
Origins
[edit]No name for this soldier is given in the canonical Gospels; the name Longinus is instead found in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus. Longinus was not originally a saint in Christian tradition. An early tradition, found in a sixth- or seventh-century pseudepigraphal "Letter of Herod to Pilate", claims that Longinus suffered for having pierced Jesus, and that he was condemned to a cave where every night a lion came and mauled him until dawn, after which his body healed back to normal, in a pattern that would repeat until the end of time.[8] Later traditions turned him into a Christian convert, but as Sabine Baring-Gould observed: "The name of Longinus was not known to the Greeks previous to the patriarch Germanus, in 715. It was introduced among the Westerns from the Apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus. There is no reliable authority for the Acts and martyrdom of this saint."[7]
The name is probably Latinized into a common cognomen of the Cassia gens, from the Greek lónchē (λόγχη), the word used for the spear mentioned in John 19:34.[9] It first appears lettered on an illumination of the Crucifixion beside the figure of the soldier holding a spear, written, perhaps contemporaneously, in horizontal Greek letters, LOGINOS (ΛΟΓΙΝΟϹ), in the Syriac gospel manuscript illuminated by a certain Rabulas in the year 586, in the Laurentian Library, Florence. The spear used is known as the Holy Lance, and more recently, especially in occult circles, as the "Spear of Destiny", which was revered at Jerusalem by the sixth century, although neither the centurion nor the name "Longinus" were invoked in any surviving report. As the "Lance of Longinus", the spear figures in the legends of the Holy Grail.[citation needed]
Blindness or other eye problems are not mentioned until after the tenth century.[10] Petrus Comestor was one of the first to add an eyesight problem to the legend and his text can be translated as "blind", "dim-sighted" or "weak-sighted". The Golden Legend says that he saw celestial signs before conversion and that his eye problems might have been caused by illness or age.[11] The touch of Jesus's blood cures his eye problem:
Christian legend has it that Longinus was a blind Roman centurion who thrust the spear into Christ's side at the crucifixion. Some of Jesus's blood fell upon his eyes and he was healed. Upon this miracle Longinus believed in Jesus.[12]
The body of Longinus is said to have been lost twice, but discovered at Mantua, together with the Holy Sponge stained with Christ's blood, wherewith it was told—extending Longinus's role—that Longinus had assisted in cleansing Christ's body when it was taken down from the cross. The relic enjoyed a revived cult in the late 13th century under the patronage of the Bonacolsi.[13]
The relics are said to have been divided and then distributed to Prague (St. Peter and Paul Basilica, Vyšehrad)[14] and elsewhere. Greek sources assert that he suffered martyrdom in Cappadocia. The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Washington, DC, purports to have a holy relic, a fragment of bone, of Saint Longinus.[15]
Present-day veneration
[edit]
Longinus is venerated, generally as a martyr, in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Armenian Apostolic Church. His feast day is kept on 16 October in the Roman Martyrology, which mentions him, without any indication of martyrdom, in the following terms: "At Jerusalem, commemoration of Saint Longinus, who is venerated as the soldier opening the side of the crucified Lord with a lance".[16] The pre-1969 feast day in the Roman Rite is 15 March. The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates him on 16 October. In the Armenian Apostolic Church, his feast is commemorated on 22 October.[17]
The statue of Saint Longinus, sculpted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, is one of four in the niches beneath the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. A spearpoint fragment said to be from the Holy Lance is also conserved in the Basilica.
Longinus and his legend are the subject of the Moriones Festival held during Holy Week on the island of Marinduque, the Philippines.
Hagiographical fragments on St. Longinus from 11th–13th century found in Dubrovnik indicate his veneration in this area in Middle Ages.[18] There is altarpiece St. Longinus and St. Gaudentius by an anonymous author from 17th century in St. Anthony the Great Catholic parish church in Veli Lošinj.[19][20]
The Longinus cross (German: Longinuskreuz) is a special form of the Arma Christi cross, which occurs mainly in the Black Forest, but also occasionally in other regions of South Germany.
Brazil
[edit]Folkloric role
[edit]In Brazil, Saint Longinus – in Portuguese, São Longuinho – is attributed the power of finding missing objects. The saint's aid is summoned by the chant:
São Longuinho, São Longuinho, se eu achar [missing object], dou três pulinhos!
(O Saint Longinus, Saint Longinus, if I find [missing object], I'll hop three times!)
Folk tradition explains the association with missing objects with a tale from the saint's days in Rome. It is said he was of short stature and, as such, had unimpeded view of the underside of tables in crowded parties. Due to this, he would find and return objects dropped on the ground by the other attendants.[21]
Accounts vary regarding the promised offering of three hops, citing either deference to an alleged limping of the saint or a plea to the Holy Trinity.[22]
Brazilian spiritism
[edit]Brazilian medium Chico Xavier wrote Brasil, Coração do Mundo, Pátria do Evangelho, a psychographic book of authorship attributed to the spirit of Humberto de Campos. In the book, Saint Longinus is claimed to have been reincarnated as Pedro II, the last Brazilian emperor.[23]
Gallery
[edit]-
Longinus depicted in the Nea Moni Church, Chios, Greece -
Christ on the Cross, the three Marys, John the Evangelist, and Saint Longinus -
Saint Longinus in Bom Jesus do Monte, Portugal -
Fresco in Basilica of St Peter and St Paul in Vyšehrad (Prague) -
First Class Bone Relic of St. Longinus -
Longinus in The Crucifixion of Jan Provoost (Groeningmuseum of Bruges)
.jpg)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Sandrales/Sandiale: A Pleiades place resource". 23 July 2012.
- ^ "Pago autem nomen est Sandiale" "Σανδιάλη τῇ κώμῃ τό ὃνομα" from «month March» ΙΑ' page. 41 (in pdf page 17). Archived 1 Jul 2016. Retrieved 6 Feb. 2018
- ^ Stracke, Richard (2015-10-20). "Saint Longinus". Christian Iconography.
- ^ Fuhrmann, Christopher (11 April 2014). Policing the Roman Empire: Soldiers, Administration, and Public Order (Reprint ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 231. ISBN 978-0199360017.
- ^ Barber, Richard (2004). The Holy Grail: Imagination and Belief. Harvard University Press. p. 118. ISBN 9780674013902. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
gospel of nicodemus Longinus
- ^ John 19:34.
- ^ a b Baring-Gould, The Lives of the Saints, vol. III (Edinburgh) 1914, sub "March 15: S[aint] Longinus M[artyr]"; Baring-Gould adds, "The Greek Acts pretend to be by S. Hesychius (March 28th), but are an impudent forgery of late date." (on-line text).
- ^ Ehrman, Bart D, and Zlatko Pleše. The Apocryphal Gospels: Texts and Translations. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011, p. 523
- ^ See at Kontos; "The name cannot be ascribed to any tradition; its obvious derivation from logchē (λόγχη), spear or lance, shows that it was, like that of Saint Veronica, fashioned to suit the event," noted Elizabeth Jameson, The History of Our Lord as Exemplified in Works of Art 1872:160.
- ^ Sticca, Sandro (1970). The Latin Passion Play: Its Origins and Development. State University of New York. p. 159. ISBN 978-0873950459. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
Longinus Jesus Christ blind.
- ^ Ruth House Webber (1995). "Jimena's Prayer in the Cantor de Mio Cid and the French Epic Prayer". In Caspi, Michael (ed.). Oral Tradition and Hispanic Literature: Essays in Honor of Samuel G. Armistead. Routledge. p. 633. ISBN 978-0815320623. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ^ Godwin, Malcolm (1994). The Holy Grail: Its Origins, Secrets & Meaning Revealed. Viking Penguin. p. 51. ISBN 0-670-85128-0.
- ^ "Most Precious Blood and Sacred Vessels". Roman Catholic Diocese of Mantua (in Italian). Archived from the original on December 23, 2018. Retrieved Dec 23, 2018.
- ^ Nechvátal, Bořivoj (2001). "Dva raně středověké sarkofágy z Vyšehradu". Archaeologia Historica (in Czech). 26 (1). Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University: 345-358. ISSN 0231-5823.
- ^ "Longinus of Cappadociathe, centurion, martyr", Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St.John the Baptist, Washington DC.
- ^ "Hierosolymae, commemoratio sancti Longini, qui miles colitur latus Domini cruci affixi lancea aperiens" – Martyrologium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2001 ISBN 88-209-7210-7), Die 16 octobris
- ^ Calendar of Saints (Armenian Apostolic Church)
- ^ Vojvoda, Rozana (2008). Fragmenti svetačkih života pisani beneventanom i vezani za Dubrovnik. III. Kongres hrvatskih povjesničara (in Croatian). Supetar, Split.
- ^ Bulić, Goran (2011). "Konzervatorsko-restauratorski radovi na slici sv. Gaudencije i sv. Longin iz župne crkve sv. Antuna Opata Pustinjaka u Velom Lošinju". Godišnjak zaštite spomenika kulture Hrvatske (in Croatian). 35 (35): 233-240. ISSN 2459-668X.
- ^ Majer Jurišić, Krasanka (2011). "Zašto razgovarati o zaštiti spomenika?". Kvartal: Kronika Povijesti Umjetnosti U Hrvatskoj (in Croatian). 8 (1–2): 67–69.
- ^ "São Longuinho e a tradição dos 3 pulinhos". Aleteia. 2018-03-15. Archived from the original on 2020-10-31.
Diz-se que ele era um homem baixinho e que, servindo na corte de Roma, vivia nas festas. Nesses ambientes, por sua pequena estatura, conseguia ver o que se passava por baixo das mesas e sempre encontrava pertences de pessoas. Os objetos achados eram devolvidos aos seus donos. Assim, teria surgido o costume de pedir-lhe ajuda para encontrar o que se perdeu.
- ^ "São Longuinho e a tradição dos 3 pulinhos". Aleteia. 2018-03-15. Archived from the original on 2020-10-31.
Diz-se também que essa forma de agradecimento seria pelo fato de o soldado ser manco. Outra explicação afirma que os pulinhos remetem à Santíssima Trindade.
- ^ Xavier, Francisco Cândido (1938). "D. PEDRO II" (PDF). Brasil, Coração do Mundo, Pátria do Evangelho (PDF) (in Portuguese). Brazil: Federação Espírita Brasileira. ISBN 978-8573287967. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-01-31.
Foi assim que Longinus preparou a sua volta à Terra, depois de outras existências tecidas de abnegações edificantes em favor da humanidade, e, no dia 2 de dezembro de 1825, no Rio de Janeiro, nascia de D. Leopoldina, a virtuosa esposa de D. Pedro, aquele que seria no Brasil o grande imperador e que, na expressão dos seus próprios adversários, seria o maior de todos os republicanos de sua pátria.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
External links
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Longinus
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Biblical and Historical Context
Role in the Crucifixion
According to the Gospel of John, during the crucifixion of Jesus under Roman authority, Jewish leaders requested that the legs of the crucified men be broken to hasten death before the Sabbath, but upon finding Jesus already dead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, from which blood and water immediately flowed out.[4] This act served as a verification of Jesus' death, as Roman executioners typically used such a thrust to ensure the victim had expired without breaking bones, which would have been unnecessary here.[5] In the Synoptic Gospels, a Roman centurion overseeing the crucifixion is described as witnessing the events, including an earthquake and the tearing of the temple veil, leading him to declare Jesus as the Son of God in Matthew and Mark, or as a righteous man in Luke.[6] While John does not name the soldier responsible for the piercing, the Synoptics identify the supervisory figure as a centurion, suggesting a possible overlap in the accounts of Roman personnel present at the site.[7] This unnamed soldier was later identified as Longinus in apocryphal traditions.[8] The spear used in this piercing, known as the Holy Lance or Spear of Destiny, is regarded in Christian theology as inflicting the fifth wound on Jesus, symbolizing the completion of his passion and directly fulfilling the prophecy in Zechariah 12:10: "They will look on me, on him whom they have pierced."[9] John's explicit reference to this Old Testament verse underscores the event's messianic significance, portraying the piercing as a divine sign that authenticated Jesus' identity and mission. This episode occurred amid Roman crucifixion practices in 1st-century Judea, a province under the prefecture of Pontius Pilate from 26 to 36 CE, where such executions were reserved for slaves, rebels, and non-citizens as a means of public deterrence and humiliation.[10] Pilate, as the Roman governor, authorized the crucifixion following Jesus' trial, adhering to protocols that involved soldiers confirming death through spearing to prevent any feigned survival or removal by sympathizers.[11]Historical Identification
The canonical Gospels do not provide a name for the Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus during the Crucifixion to verify his death, as described in John 19:34. The earliest attribution of the name "Longinus" to this figure appears in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus (also known as the Acts of Pilate), a text composed between the 4th and 5th centuries CE, where different versions assign the name to either the soldier wielding the spear or the overseeing centurion.[12] Scholars derive the name "Longinus" etymologically from the Greek word lonchē (λόγχη), meaning "spear" or "lance," reflecting the act of piercing rather than indicating a historical personal name.[13] This linguistic origin underscores the name's symbolic rather than biographical intent in early Christian apocrypha. No reliable 1st-century historical evidence supports the identification of the soldier as Longinus.[14] Later traditions propose that Longinus was born in the 1st century in Sandiale (or Sandrales), a location in Cappadocia, and died as a martyr in Mantua, Italy, but these details lack primary sources and stem from medieval hagiographic developments tied to relic veneration.[2] Such accounts emerged centuries after the events, blending historical speculation with devotional narrative without corroboration from contemporary Roman or Jewish records.[14]Legendary Accounts
Conversion and Early Traditions
The legend of Longinus' conversion emerged in early Christian apocryphal texts, where he is identified as the Roman soldier who pierced Jesus' side with a lance during the Crucifixion, an act described briefly in the Gospel of John as the catalyst for his transformation. In the Gospel of Nicodemus (also known as the Acts of Pilate), dating to the fourth or fifth century, Longinus is named as the soldier who performs the piercing, with blood and water flowing from the wound; this text merges the figure with the centurion from the synoptic Gospels who confesses Jesus' divinity upon witnessing the events (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39). The narrative emphasizes his immediate profession of faith, marking the onset of his conversion from pagan soldier to believer, though without details of personal affliction at this stage.[15] By the eighth century, the legend had spread in both Eastern and Western Christianity, with the name Longinus appearing in Greek traditions around 715 AD during the patriarchate of Germanus I of Constantinople, likely introduced via translations of the apocryphal Acts of Pilate. These motifs reflect the growing hagiographic focus on redemption through direct encounter with Christ's suffering.[16] The core elements of Longinus' personal transformation crystallized in the thirteenth-century Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine, which portrays him as a centurion afflicted with blindness who, while piercing Christ's side under Pilate's orders, had the flowing blood splash onto his eyes, instantly restoring his sight. This miraculous healing prompted his immediate conversion, as he recognized Jesus as the Son of God amid the accompanying signs like the darkened sky and earthquake, leading him to abandon his military life and preach the Gospel. The legend's emphasis on sensory restoration—physical sight paralleling spiritual enlightenment—became a foundational trope in medieval Christian storytelling, highlighting themes of divine mercy extended even to those involved in the Crucifixion.[17]Martyrdom and Relics
According to hagiographic traditions, Longinus was martyred by beheading in Cappadocia after converting to Christianity and preaching the Gospel there. In Eastern traditions, soldiers dispatched by Pontius Pilate and Jewish elders arrived to execute him and his companions, but Longinus calmly prayed before submitting to the sword, after which his blood flowed abundantly; his body was buried in Cappadocia. Western traditions place his martyrdom in Mantua, Italy, with his body interred there.[18][19] In the Western tradition, vials of Christ's blood said to have been collected by Longinus were preserved in Mantua but lost around 924 during the Hungarian invasion; they were rediscovered in 1048 and recognized as authentic by Pope Leo IX in 1053, enshrined in the church of Sant'Andrea.[19][20] These artifacts, housed in the Basilica of Sant'Andrea, remain central to local devotion, with the blood relics displayed in a sacrarium beneath the high altar.[19] Fragments purported to be from the Holy Lance used by Longinus during the Crucifixion are preserved in several locations, including beneath the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican (acquired in 1492), the Hofburg Palace in Vienna as part of the Imperial Regalia, and the Cathedral of Etchmiadzin in Vagharshapat, Armenia.[21] Portions of the Holy Sponge, associated with the Passion and indirectly linked to Longinus through the Crucifixion narrative, are venerated in sites such as the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., where it forms part of an annual Good Friday exposition of Passion relics.[22] Similar fragments are claimed in Prague's churches, contributing to the relic's widespread medieval distribution.[23] In medieval legends, the Holy Lance held by Longinus features prominently in Holy Grail narratives, often depicted as a bleeding spear in Arthurian quests symbolizing divine power and redemption, as interpreted in texts like the Queste del Saint Graal.[24] However, the authenticity of all these relics is highly debated among historians, with no reliable early sources attesting to Longinus' identity or martyrdom details beyond apocryphal acts from the fourth century onward.[25] The Vatican has never endorsed any Holy Lance fragment as genuine, and scholars view their proliferation as a product of the medieval relic trade, where artifacts were often fabricated or fragmented to meet devotional demand and economic incentives during the Crusades and pilgrimage booms.[21][26]Christian Veneration
Liturgical Observance
Longinus is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox Churches, with his veneration as a saint emerging in the Middle Ages, as traditions about the centurion's role at the Crucifixion developed in ecclesiastical literature and martyrologies from the 10th century onward.[3] These later traditions attribute to him the piercing of Christ's side and his confession of faith, laying the foundation for his formal liturgical recognition across denominations.[27] His feast days vary by tradition: in the Roman Catholic Church, it was observed on March 15 prior to the 1969 liturgical reforms, but the current Roman Martyrology places it on October 16.[28] The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates him on October 16, often alongside references to his legendary conversion following the events of the Passion. In the Armenian Apostolic Church, his feast falls on October 22, while the Coptic Orthodox Church honors him on November 14, focusing on the commemoration of his relics.[29] Liturgical observances typically include readings from John 19, which recounts the piercing of Christ's side and the flow of blood and water, symbolizing the sacraments of baptism and Eucharist.[30] Hymns during these feasts emphasize Longinus's confession—"Truly this was the Son of God" (Matthew 27:54)—and his role with the spear, portraying him as a witness turned confessor, as seen in Orthodox troparia that praise his steadfast faith amid the Crucifixion's miracles.[31] In the Roman Catholic tradition, Longinus was removed from the universal calendar in 1969 as part of the post-Vatican II revisions, which streamlined the sanctoral cycle by eliminating many optional memorials, though his commemoration persists in the Roman Martyrology and local calendars.[32] Eastern Orthodox practice retains his October 16 synaxis, often integrated with observances of other figures from the Passion narrative, such as on the Second Sunday of Great Lent, highlighting communal veneration of Crucifixion witnesses.[33]Patronage and Global Shrines
Saint Longinus is revered as the patron saint of the blind and those suffering from eye ailments, a tradition stemming from the legend that he was nearly blind and miraculously healed when blood and water from Christ's side touched his eyes during the Crucifixion.[34] He is also invoked as patron for military personnel, reflecting his role as a Roman centurion, as well as for converts to Christianity, given his own purported conversion after witnessing the events at the Cross.[13][35] Note that several relics worldwide are claimed to be the Holy Lance associated with Longinus, with authenticity debated among historians and theologians.[21] Among the major shrines dedicated to Saint Longinus, St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City stands prominently, featuring Gian Lorenzo Bernini's renowned statue of the saint in one of the niches under the dome and housing a fragment of the Holy Lance, the spear attributed to Longinus, embedded in a pillar above the altar.[36] In Mantua, Italy, relics associated with Longinus, including fragments of the Precious Blood he is said to have collected and brought there after his conversion, are preserved and venerated as key focal points for pilgrimage.[37] Antiochian Orthodox traditions honor the saint through veneration of a relic claimed to be the Holy Lance, associated with the city's historical significance in Christian relic traditions.[21] Global veneration of Saint Longinus extends to Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, where he is particularly esteemed in Orthodox communities in Russia and Greece for his role as a confessor of faith.[2] In Armenia, the relic of the Holy Lance is enshrined in the Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Vagharshapat, drawing pilgrims who associate it directly with Longinus and the Crucifixion events.[21] Devotional practices centered on Saint Longinus emphasize prayers for healing, especially for vision-related afflictions, often invoking his intercession for restoration of sight and spiritual clarity.[38] Military blessings frequently reference his centurion background, seeking his protection for soldiers and guidance in moments of moral discernment during service.[13]Iconography and Cultural Impact
Artistic Depictions
In religious art, Saint Longinus is characteristically portrayed as a Roman centurion clad in military attire, wielding a lance as he pierces the side of Christ on the Cross, often positioned to the right of the central figure in Crucifixion compositions.[39] This iconography draws from the Gospel account in John 19:34, where an unnamed soldier performs the act to confirm Jesus's death, later elaborated in Christian tradition to identify him as Longinus.[39] He is frequently shown with blood from the wound splashing onto his face or eyes, symbolizing his physical and spiritual healing, particularly in depictions where he suffers from blindness cured by the sacred blood.[39] The evolution of Longinus's depiction reflects broader shifts in Christian iconography across periods. In early Byzantine art, such as the 6th-century miniature in the Rabbula Gospels—a Syriac manuscript—he appears as an anonymous soldier paired with Stephaton, the figure offering vinegar on a sponge, without emphasis on personal identity or conversion.[39] By the medieval era, artists conflated him with the centurion who professed faith in Christ (Mark 15:39), highlighting his transformative moment through gestures like a raised hand or halo, as seen in Giotto's 14th-century Scrovegni Chapel frescoes where blood from the lance visibly heals his eyes.[39] The Baroque period intensified dramatic elements, focusing on emotional ecstasy and the relic's power; Gian Lorenzo Bernini's 1638 marble statue in St. Peter's Basilica captures Longinus in mid-conversion, with dynamic drapery, outstretched arms, and a gaze of awe toward the Cross, emphasizing sensory overload from the blood's touch.[40] A notable Eastern example is the 1680 Russian icon by Fyodor Zubov from the Armory School, depicting Saint Longinus holding a lance with eyes directed heavenward, underscoring his role in the redemptive narrative amid ornate golden backgrounds typical of 17th-century Muscovite style.[41] The lance itself functions as Longinus's defining attribute, directly associating him with Holy Lance relics preserved in sites like the Vatican and Vienna, which embody themes of sacrifice and imperial divine right in art.[39] Longinus recurs prominently in Passion cycles—sequences illustrating Christ's final hours—and standalone Crucifixion panels, serving as a symbol of unlikely conversion from perpetrator to witness, thereby reinforcing doctrines of grace and atonement.[39]Folklore and Modern Traditions
In Brazilian folklore, Saint Longinus is invoked as a helper in everyday matters, particularly for locating lost objects, drawing from his legendary role in piercing Christ's side and receiving miraculous healing from the blood and water that flowed forth. Devotees recite a simple chant, such as "São Longuinho, São Longuinho, se eu achar [o objeto perdido], dou três pulinhos para você" (Saint Longuinho, Saint Longuinho, if I find [the lost object], I'll give three little jumps for you), followed by three hops in fulfillment of the promise once the item is recovered. This ritual, passed down through generations, reflects a blend of Catholic devotion and popular superstition, with practitioners viewing Longinus as a relatable intercessor for minor misfortunes.[42] Within Brazilian spiritism, 20th-century writings psychographed by medium Chico Xavier further integrate Longinus into modern esoteric traditions, claiming his reincarnation as Emperor Dom Pedro II to guide Brazil's spiritual destiny as the "heart of the world." In the book Brasil, Coração do Mundo, Pátria do Evangelho, dictated by the spirit of Humberto de Campos through Xavier, Jesus assigns Longinus the mission of overseeing Brazil's formation, culminating in his rebirth as the enlightened monarch who fostered education, science, and abolitionism while embodying redemption. This narrative positions Longinus as a pivotal figure in spiritist cosmology, emphasizing themes of atonement and national providence.[43] Globally, contemporary traditions honor Longinus through vibrant Holy Week festivals and processions that reenact his conversion. In the Philippines, the Moriones Festival on Marinduque Island features participants donning elaborate morion masks and Roman soldier costumes to portray Longinus and his comrades in dramatic street reenactments of the Passion, culminating in his blinding, healing, and embrace of Christianity; this annual event, held from Palm Sunday to Easter, draws thousands and preserves indigenous Catholic syncretism. In Italy, the Vatican maintains a solemn Lenten procession in St. Peter's Basilica, where canons carry a relic of the Holy Lance attributed to Longinus, elevating it for veneration amid prayers and incense, symbolizing his transformation from executioner to saint. This is an annual tradition, with expositions occurring on the Saturday of the First Week of Lent; notable instances include February 24, 2024, led by Archbishop Mauro Gambetti, and March 2025. Ongoing military devotions invoke Longinus as a patron for veterans grappling with moral injury and spiritual trauma, with his story of doubt, guilt, and redemption paralleling modern soldiers' experiences in post-combat healing narratives.[44][45][14][46]References
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LonginusFyodorZubov.jpg