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{{Short description|Instrument of the Passion of Jesus Christ}}
{{refimprove|date=November 2010}}
[[File:Brooklyn Museum - "I Thirst" The Vinegar Given to Jesus ("J'ai soif." Le vinaigre donné à Jésus) - James Tissot.jpg|thumb|[[James Tissot]]'s depiction. Here, the hyssop stick is used as a kind of straw, and "[[Stephaton]]" squeezes the sponge. ({{circa|1880}}, [[gouache]] over [[graphite]] on grey [[wove paper]])]]
The '''Holy Sponge''' is one of the [[Instruments of the Passion]] of [[Jesus]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Faith, Proof and Relics |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123940218130209621 |first=Peter |last=Manseau |publisher=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=April 11, 2009 |access-date=September 1, 2020}}</ref> It was dipped in [[vinegar]] ({{Langx|grc|ὄξος|oxos}}; in some translations sour [[wine]]), most likely [[posca]],<ref name="davis">{{cite web |title=A Physician's View of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ |url=https://www1.cbn.com/medical-view-of-the-crucifixion-of-jesus-christ |first=C. Truman |last=Davis |date=4 November 2015 |publisher=[[The Christian Broadcasting Network]] |access-date=September 1, 2020}}</ref> a regular beverage of Roman soldiers,<ref>{{cite web |title=Oh, sure. Now it's trendy. But drinking vinegar was the taste that originally refreshed an ancient empire |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/oh-sure-now-its-trendy-but-drinking-vinegar-was-the-taste-that-originally-refreshed-an-ancient-empire/ |first=Tantri |last=Wija |publisher=[[The Seattle Times]] |date=September 18, 2019 |access-date=September 1, 2020}}</ref> and offered to Jesus to drink from during [[Crucifixion of Jesus|the Crucifixion]],<ref name="davis" /> according to Matthew 27:48,<ref>{{Bibleverse|Matthew|27:48}}</ref> Mark 15:36,<ref>{{Bibleverse|Mark|15:36}}</ref> and John 19:29.<ref>{{Bibleverse|John|19:29}}</ref>

==History==
===Jerusalem===
An object thought to be the Holy Sponge was venerated in the Holy Land, in the Upper Room of the [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre#First sanctuary (4th century)|Constantinian basilica]], where [[Sophronius of Jerusalem]] spoke of it {{c.|600 AD}}:

{{poemquote|And let me go rejoicing
to the splendid sanctuary, the place
where the noble Empress [[Helena of Constantinople|Helena]]
found the [[True Cross|divine Wood]];

and go up,
my heart overcome with awe,
and see the Upper Room,
the Reed, the Sponge, and the Lance.

Then may I gaze down
upon the fresh beauty of the Basilica
where choirs of monks
sing nightly songs of worship.|Sophronius}}

===Rome===
In the [[Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano]] in Rome, a brown sponge is venerated. Other pieces of sponge are present at the following:
* the [[Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore]]
* the [[Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere]]
* St. Mary in Campitelli{{cn|date=July 2019}}

The Chapel of the Relics at [[Santa Croce in Gerusalemme]] houses another sponge:

{{quote|text=Of all the churches in Rome, Santa Croce has one of the richest collections of relics. A special chapel was therefore built for them in 1930. A staircase to the left of the choir leads to this chapel, where one can see three pieces of the True Cross, one of its nails, a fragment of the INRI ("Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews") inscription, two thorns from Christ's [[crown of thorns]], a piece of the sponge that was held up to him, one of the silver pieces paid to Judas, St Thomas's finger which touched the wounds of Christ, and the crossbar from the [[Penitent thief|Good Thief]]'s cross. The paving stones are said to have been laid on a substantial amount of earth from [[Golgotha]].<ref>{{cite book |author= Knopf |title= Guide to Rome |year= 1994}}</ref>}}

===Constantinople and France===
In the 7th century, [[Nicetas (cousin of Heraclius)|Nicetas]] took part in the conquest of Egypt from [[Phocas]]. He was famed{{Citation needed|date=June 2019}} for bringing items he claimed were the Holy Sponge and the Holy Lance (the "[[Lance of Longinus]]") to [[Constantinople]] from Palestine in 612. From 619 to 628/9 he may anecdotally have been [[exarch of Africa]].{{Dubious |reason=Nicetas's own article provides sources disputing this, and none confirming it. Please provide [[WP:RS]] or remove this claim.|date=June 2019}}

This sponge remained in Constantinople until it was bought from the [[Latin Empire|Latin emperor]] [[Baldwin II of Constantinople|Baldwin II]] by [[Louis IX of France]] among the relics he needed for the [[Sainte-Chapelle]] in [[Paris]]. Participants in the [[French Revolution]] dispersed these relics (including the [[Crown of Thorns]] and a bit of the [[True Cross]]). Some went briefly to the [[Bibliothèque Nationale]]. Later, however, they were restored to [[Notre-Dame de Paris]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2019}}

===Other claimants===
Other parties also claiming access to the Holy Sponge include:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Exposition Relics of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ |url=https://www.nationalshrine.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Passion-Relics-2019-April-01-small.pdf |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=nationalshrine.org |page=13}}</ref>
* the church of St. Jacques de Compiègne in France
* [[Aachen]]'s cathedral ([[Charlemagne]]'s sample)

==See also==
*[[Relics associated with Jesus]]
**''[[Arma Christi]]''
**[[Crown of thorns]]
**[[Lance of Longinus]]
**[[Titulus Crucis]]
**[[True Cross]]
*[[Xylospongium]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20010408045046/http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/9587/gazeteer.html  Marc A. Beherec, "Gazetteer of Relics"]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304024405/http://servus.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/pilgr/sophr/Sophr20Anastasis.html Sophronius of Jerusalem celebrates the relics of the Passion, ''ca'' 600 A.D.]

[[Category:Relics associated with Jesus]]
[[Category:Gospel of Matthew]]
[[Category:Gospel of Mark]]
[[Category:Gospel of John]]
[[Category:Church of the Holy Sepulchre]]
[[Category:Cleaning tools]]