The relic that many Christians believe is the “Crown of Thorns” that Jesus Christ wore returned to Notre Dame in Paris after it was rescued from the cathedral’s 2019 fire.
The relic that returned to the cathedral is a circular band of branches encased in a gilded golden tube. Firefighters and police officers formed a human chain to save the crown and other relics during the fire, which destroyed the cathedral’s wooden interiors and its famous spire.
The archbishop of Paris presided over the ceremony, which knights and dames of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher attended. The event was part of festivities that celebrated the reopening of the cathedral last week.
Christians believe Jesus wore a woven “Crown of Thorns” leading up to his crucifixion. King Louis IX of France acquired the crown in 1239 for 135,000 livres — which was worth about half of France’s annual expenditure at the time. The crown moved to Notre Dame in 1806.
The crown will be displayed for the public every Friday until Good Friday on April 18, at which point it will be shown once a month.
