In the year 1119 things were as bad as they had ever been, thanks to two particularly grave events. The first took place on Holy Saturday, March 29, following the miracle of the Holy Fire at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In this yearly ritual an oil lamp kept beside the rock of Christ’s tomb would spontaneously burst alight on the eve of Easter; the sacred flame was then used to light the individual candles and lamps of faithful men and women who gathered to witness it.
