There are several versions of the “Holy Lance.” This one was crafted in the 7th century to hold a “true nail from Jesus’s cross.” During the 3rd century, Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, supposedly brought this nail back from her travels to Jerusalem. Testing in 2003 revealed that the nail dates from the 1st century A.D. and is consistent with Roman nails used in Jerusalem at the time of the crucifixion. The 14th-century gold wrapper contains the inscription: Lancea et clavus Domini (Lance and nail of the Lord).