Peter Bartholomew facts for kids

Barthelemi Undergoing the Ordeal of Fire by Gustave Doré

Peter Bartholomew (Old French: Pierre Barthelemieu, French: Pierre Barthélemy, born around 1075 – died April 20, 1099) was a French soldier. He was also known as a mystic, someone who believed they had special spiritual experiences. Peter was part of the First Crusade, a big religious war, and served in the army of Raymond of Saint-Gilles. He was originally a servant to William, Lord of Cunhlat.

Peter Bartholomew's Visions

During the siege of Antioch in December 1097, Peter Bartholomew began to have visions. He claimed that Saint Andrew appeared to him. Peter said Saint Andrew showed him where to find the Holy Lance inside the Church of St. Peter in Antioch.

Saint Andrew told Peter to share this information with the Crusade leaders. He was also told to give the Lance to Raymond of St. Gilles once it was found. Peter did not tell anyone right away. Saint Andrew visited him four more times before June 1098. Peter started to lose his eyesight in February 1098. He thought this was Saint Andrew punishing him, but it was probably due to the severe famine affecting the Crusaders.

Finding the Holy Lance

After the Crusaders captured Antioch, Peter and Raymond started digging in the church floor. On June 14, 1098, Peter said he found the Lance. He claimed Saint Andrew visited him again that night. The saint told him to create a special feast day to celebrate the Lance's discovery.

However, many people, including the Pope's representative Adhemar of Le Puy, thought Peter was faking it. They believed he had simply brought a piece of iron with him to "find." After Adhemar died later in 1098, Peter claimed Adhemar visited him from the afterlife. This vision supposedly confirmed that the Lance was real.

Impact of the Discovery

Finding the Lance was first seen as a good sign. It greatly improved the Crusaders' spirits when a Muslim army surrounded them. People believed the Lance helped the Crusaders win this siege, just as Saint Andrew had promised.

Despite this victory, Peter's reputation suffered. Many nobles still did not believe his story. The Crusaders became divided, with some believing in the miracles and others not. At that time, fake miracles were common. Peter later claimed Christ visited him and told the Crusaders to march barefoot to Jerusalem. However, most people ignored this message. Other visions, from Christ, Saint Andrew, and Adhemar, supposedly showed God's anger at the Crusaders' bad behavior.

The Ordeal by Fire

On April 8, 1099, Peter chose to go through an ordeal by fire. This was his attempt to prove that he was telling the truth. It is very likely that he was badly burned during this event. However, he claimed he was not hurt by the fire itself. He said Christ appeared to him in the flames. Peter stated he was only injured afterwards when a crowd rushed towards him. He was then rescued by Raymond Pilet d'Alès. Peter Bartholomew died on April 20, 1099.

In Film

In the 2001 movie The Crusaders, the role of Peter Bartholomew was played by Flavio Insinna.

See also

In Spanish: Pedro Bartolomé para niños