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A lot of my research involves examining relics from Jesus’s final days. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with some of the custodians of the sacred objects at Notre Dame.
Five years after the devastating fire of April 15 2019, I’m looking forward to participating in the ceremony staged to commemorate the return of the relic of the Crown of Thorns to the cathedral on December 13.
The crown is one of many objects associated with the passion of Christ (the story of Jesus’s arrest, trial and crucifixion). The Gospels state that a group of Roman soldiers wrapped Christ in a purple (or scarlet) robe, forced a reed sceptre in his hand and placed a Crown of Thorns on his head, mocking him as the “king of the Jews”. The Crown of Thorns relic, believed by many to be the real crown worn by Jesus Christ, was brought to France from the Holy Land by Louis IX in the 13th century.
The ceremony staged for the crown’s return takes its inspiration from a famous parade that marked the initial arrival of the object. For many Christians, these abject instruments of torture were also latent symbols of Christ’s celestial kingship and, for the medieval kings of France, the crown relic had a particular power.
On August 19 1239, King Louis IX (the future Saint Louis) carried the crown relic into Paris in an extraordinary parade. For some contemporary eyewitnesses the arrival of the relic in France revealed that “Christ had crowned France with His Crown”. Louis had become “a New King David” and Paris a “New Jerusalem”. The presence of this specific object was seen as a sign of divine blessing.
Louis IX’s relic parade was attended by thousands of people. Having removed his crown, the king wore only a simple linen tunic. He walked barefoot for miles while carrying the relic in a double-bier – a litter for safely transporting the sacred item – on his shoulders.
Local clerics carried out the bodies of saints in shrines in the procession, so it also seemed that the patrons of Paris were celebrating the arrival of Christ to their city. The ceremony culminated with a service in Notre Dame before the Crown of Thorns was deposited for safety in the royal palace.
After its relocation from Jerusalem and then Constantinople, the Crown of Thorns remained in Paris for nearly 800 years. It has spent most of this time in the stunning Sainte-Chapelle. A short walk from Notre Dame, it’s a resplendent royal chapel designed to house the relic, that was consecrated in 1248.
Cherished by French royalty, the crown remained there until the French Revolution, before eventually entering Notre Dame in 1803, where it formed part of Napolean’s dramatic coronation. Since then, it was displayed in the cathedral as both a sacred and civic treasure – but it was almost lost in the fire of 2019.
Jean-Marc Fournier, chaplain to the Paris fire brigade, orchestrated the rescue of dozens of sacred items in the treasury of Notre Dame.
He tasked Captain Franck with the special mission of retrieving the crown, but this proved to be difficult because the relic was carefully hidden. He recounted his heroic exploits in the Netflix documentary Mysteries of the Faith (2023).
Through a cloud of ash, Franck searched underneath altars and behind altarpieces until he found what looked like the relic – exiting safely. However, what he initially found was merely a duplicate. The sacred item remained inside. Luckily, the cathedral manager arrived on the scene and described its location.
Captain Franck risked his life once again and finally managed to save the Crown of Thorns, which was concealed inside an indestructible grey safe, inaccessible without various codes.
Protection in Paris
In the wake of the disaster, Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, said that the Crown of Thorns would be kept safe in the Salle Jean, a historic chamber in the Hôtel de Ville. It was stored alongside a tunic belonging to Saint Louis, which may be the one he wore during his relic parade.
Soon after the easing of COVID lockdown restrictions in 2022, the crown was displayed to the faithful on special feast days at the nearby parish church of Saint-Germain L’Auxerrois. This included veneration during Good Friday and Easter, as well as a special service in honour of the Olympics in Paris on August 2 2024.
From October 18 2023 until January 29 2024, over 120 objects from the treasury of Notre Dame were assembled at the Louvre for an extraordinary show. This collection of shimmering but empty 19th-century reliquaries (containers for holy relics) included a bejewelled but transparent casket for the Crown of Thorns. While the reliquaries were conserved and displayed in the Louvre, the crown remained next door at Saint-Germain.
A new reliquary screen now awaits the installation of the crown. Designed by the architect Sylvain Dubuisson and made of gilded cedar wood, this over-three-square-metre frame surrounds the relic like an eye.
The crown is still enclosed in its golden reliquary (designed in 1896) but now the sacred circlet glows in contrast to an ultramarine-blue background. It evokes the blue and gold aesthetic of the Sainte-Chapelle. The crown will be situated at the heart of this shining screen, illuminated by 396 shimmering pieces of glass.
On December 13, the Crown of Thorns will enter Notre Dame once again and take its place inside this luminescent altarpiece. A jubilant ceremony, orchestrated by the cathedral chapter with the help of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, will commemorate its glorious return, followed by a solemn service of vespers.
Some of this ceremony will evoke the initial parade led by Saint Louis – and so a new chapter begins for the history of the crown in Paris.
Emily Guerry does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
