Lost Secrets of the Crusades 5 Ancient Artifacts Historians Can t Explain

The True Cross Between the years 1096 and 1291, eight major crusades took place, with Christians and Muslims waging fierce religious wars for control over a number of sacred sites. However, it was not just the sites that were prized by both sides, but also the ancient artifacts they sheltered. Among these treasured relics was the True Cross, a term denoting the wooden cross used to crucify Jesus Christ. The earliest Christians and Apostles left no evidence that they hid or preserved the True Cross following Jesus' crucifixion. Yet, historical legend recalls a woman named Helena, mother of Constantine I, venturing to the Holy Land in 326 on a quest for this revered relic. Her journey concluded with the discovery of what was believed to be the True Cross. She erected the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on this site, within the city walls of Jerusalem. The True Cross found sanctuary here, enduring centuries of religious and political turmoil. While Jerusalem was under Muslim control in 1009, the Fatimid Caliphate ordered the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and any artifacts within. This act of desecration incensed Christian leaders in Europe, setting in motion the First Crusade. In the face of this threat, dedicated Christians in the city concealed parts of the True Cross to ensure its preservation. The relic remained hidden until Arnuf Malikorn recovered it as soldiers stormed the city during the First Crusade. Thereafter, the True Cross was sheltered within Christian-controlled Jerusalem under the vigilant guard of knights and a formidable defense of cannons. For Holy Week observances, fragments of the Cross journeyed from its safekeeping to the alleged site of Christ's crucifixion, returning to the Holy Sepulchre, where it is said that fire would mysteriously ignite. The relic, however, fell into the hands of the Muslim general Saladin during the Battle of Hattin in 1187 and subsequently vanished from historical records for a period. The Fourth Crusade saw the sacking of Constantinople in 1204, and the Crusaders found a section of the True Cross amongst the city's treasures. This section was divided into pieces and given to bishops and knights, with many finding their way to various churches and monasteries. To this day, many fragments of wood all around the world are claimed to be of the True Cross, but none have had their legitimacy confirmed. The Mandylion of Edessa Many of the artifacts which have been celebrated and prized since the death of Christ have claimed to show his true image, but one of these stands apart from the rest and is considered the most likely to be an accurate representation of his face. The image of Edessa, also known as the Mandylion, is a piece of cloth believed to have the image of Christ miraculously imprinted on it. The cloth was delivered to King Abgar V of Edessa when he requested the aid of Christ to heal his leprosy. In the presence of Agbar's messenger, Christ is said to have washed and dried his face on a cloth, whereby his likeness was miraculously imprinted. Other stories state that the messenger instead painted the image of Christ onto the cloth. The cloth was delivered to Edessa along with a letter from Christ. Upon reading the letter, Agbar was miraculously healed, and the cloth was preserved in the royal palace in Edessa, where it remained for many years. It is said to have provided miraculous assistance in defending the city from Persian invaders in the year 544. However, the holy relic mysteriously vanished in 609 following the Sassanian conquest of Edessa, only to resurface in 944 when it was traded for Muslim prisoners and sent to Constantinople. In 1204, soldiers of the Fourth Crusade sacked Constantinople, and the Mandylion was taken to Western Europe along with Constantinople's many other treasures, including the Shroud of Turin. Curiously, the Crusaders returned with three separate Mandylions. One was given to King Louis IX but lost in 1792 during the French Revolution. Of the remaining two, one Mandylion is currently in the Vatican, and the other is in Genoa. It remains unclear which, if any, is the original Mandylion of Edessa. Crown of Thorns The end of the Fourth Crusade was marked by the fall of Constantinople in 1204. As the Crusader armies poured into the city, looting was rampant, and a number of holy relics were seized. The venerable Crown of Thorns, however, was not among The Crown of Thorns is said to have been placed upon Christ's head during the events leading up to the crucifixion, one of many efforts made by his captors to cause him humiliation and physical pain. The history of this relic is incomplete, and it cannot always be accounted for, but it is known to have been moved to Constantinople in the 11th century or earlier. One translated description of it, made in 1201, described the Crown of Thorns as being, quote, "...displayed for veneration, still fresh and green and unwithered, since it had a share in immortality." The crown was also described as smooth and lovely due to the fact that its 75 thorns had been detached and sent to various rulers throughout Europe as gifts to curry favor. Just three years after this description was made, the Fourth Crusade brought chaos to Constantinople. Despite the violent sacking of the city, the Crown of Thorns remained protected in the Church of the Pharaohs, which the Crusaders spared. The year after the sacking of Constantinople, the Crown of Thorns was used by leaders of the Latin Empire as collateral to secure a large loan from a Venetian man in the city. The crown didn't leave the city until Emperor Baldwin II of Constantinople sent it to Louis IX, King of France, in order to secure yet another loan. This one, however, was not repaid, and the Crown of Thorns has remained in Paris ever since. Head of John the Baptist Amongst the more gruesome artifacts interwoven with the events of the Crusades is the head of John the Baptist, a Judean preacher of great historical and religious importance. During the early first century, John the Baptist, a figure with growing religious influence, openly criticized Herod Antipas. Antipas, the ruler of Galilee and Paria under the Roman Empire, had divorced his first wife to marry his sister-in-law. John vocally opposed this act, a bold statement that ultimately led to his imprisonment and death sentence. Yet many proposed that Herod's motivation ran deeper than merely silencing a critic. They argued that John the Baptist, with his soaring popularity, was a potential threat to the Roman Empire's dominance, capable of inciting rebellion. On Herod's birthday, he was so impressed with his daughter's dancing that he drunkenly promised her anything she desired, up to half of his kingdom. When she asked her mother what she should request, her mother advised her to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Herod, while revolted by the request, granted it. John the Baptist was subsequently beheaded, sometime between 28 and 29 AD. What happened to the head is not known, but one legend has it resurfacing a millennia later in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade. In September 1206, a cleric named Valon de Sarton was said to have found the head in Constantinople. Valon had been part of the original crusade that sacked the city two years earlier. Returning from a grueling military patrol with the Crusaders, Valon found himself in an unsuitable state to join the evening prayer service at St. George Mangana's church. Instead, he retreated into a secluded alcove to offer his prayers, only to make an astonishing find in a straw-stuffed window, a vase with a human arm and fingers, and two leather pouches, each holding a skull, nestled in silver dishes adorned with fragments of Greek writing. Upon deciphering the cryptic text, Valon learned that he held the heads of John the Baptist and St. George. Grasping the magnitude of his discovery, he rushed back to his homeland of France with the relics. They were brought to the city of Amiens, and the Cathedral of Amiens was built to accommodate them. The relics remain in the cathedral to this day. However, the authenticity of John the Baptist's head remains a subject of heated debate, and four establishments worldwide claim possession of this historical artifact. While the true location of John the Baptist's head continues to spark controversy, one consensus emerges from these accounts. His head does not lie with his body. Sacrocatino Carefully preserved in the Museum of the Treasure of the Cathedral of San Lorenzo is an ancient, sacred basin, emerald in color, and intricately crafted from Byzantine crystal. Its name is the Sacrocatino, but it is more commonly referred to as the Genoese Holy Grail. The dish, believed to have been present at Jesus' Last Supper and thought at the time to be made from emerald, came into the possession of Genoese soldiers in the year 1101, when they captured the city of Caesarea as part of the First Crusade. Another source states that the Crusaders bought the Sacrocatino at a very high price, having found it inside a temple built by Herod the Great. Both stories agree that the Crusaders brought the Sacrocatino to Genoa in the 12th century, where it became associated with the Last Supper. According to diverse and contradictory sources, the Sacrocatino changed hands many times over the following years, surviving sieges, securing loans, and narrowly avoiding theft. This holy relic was brought to Paris in 1806 during Napoleon's conquest, where it remained for ten years before being returned to Genoa. Upon its arrival in Genoa in 1816, it was found to have been broken into ten pieces, one of which was missing. It has since undergone multiple restorations. Despite the many claims supporting the legitimacy of the Sacrocatino and the many historical events which it is said to have endured, modern studies have determined it to, in fact, be of 9th or 10th century Islamic origin. Are you ready to unlock the secrets of the past? Subscribe now to DarkFive's brand new Ancient Mysteries channel and embark on a journey to uncover the most enigmatic and awe-inspiring mysteries of ancient times. 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