The sword is mentioned for the first time in 1609 in
Vitae Episcoporum Posnaniensium of
Jan Długosz as being the original Roman sword, or
gladius, used by
Saint Peter in the Gospels, or a direct copy made for
Pope Stephen VII. However, at that time Stephen was already dead, and the current pope was
John XIII. The sword arrived in
Poznań in 968 as a gift from John XIII for either
Bishop Jordan or
Duke Mieszko I. The
Archdeacon of Poznań Cathedral in 1699 wrote about the sword, describing it as a part of Saint Peter's sword brought to Poznań by Bishop Jordan, where it was usually kept in the
cathedral treasury, except for the few times a year when it was shown to the people. The 1721
Decree of Poznań Cathedral
Chapter refers to having the sword moved to the
chapter house as a more proper placement for the artifact. ==Folklore==