Notre Dame Cathedral is home to priceless relics saved from the flames

(OSV News) -- After a fire engulfed Notre Dame Cathedral in 2019, horrified onlookers around the world donated nearly $1 billion to restore the cathedral. While the roof and interior were badly damaged, most of the cathedral's priceless treasures were saved from the flames.

For centuries, the cathedral has witnessed Paris' joys and tragedies, from the golden century of its construction -- which started in 1163 and lasted more than 180 years -- through the terror of the French Revolution and the following reign of Napoleon Bonaparte, who was crowned Emperor of France at its altar.

In 1909, the cathedral saw Pope St. Pius X's beatification of St. Joan of Arc, France's heroine who led battles against the English and was later burned at the stake.

The cathedral witnessed the drama of both World Wars and the liberation of Paris from German Nazi hands, with General Charles de Gaulle participating in a Mass of thanksgiving, following the triumphant march from the Arc de Triomphe down the Champs Elysees and to the cathedral in August 1944.

The cathedral will witness triumph once more when its priceless treasures return to home Dec. 8, the day it reopens after the devastating fire of April 15, 2019.

The first to return will be the Virgin Mary.

On Nov. 15, an iconic statue that was spared by the fire will be returned to the cathedral: the statue of the Virgin and Child, also referred to as the Virgin of Paris or the Virgin of the Pillar. It has since been housed in the church of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois, near the Louvre.

Dating to the 14th century, the statue was first housed at the Chapel of Saint-Aignan on Paris' Île de la Cité near Notre Dame. In 1818, it was transferred to Notre Dame's exterior as part of the Virgin's portal, replacing the 13th-century Virgin destroyed during the French Revolution. Then, in 1855, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, the architect charged with restoring the cathedral, moved it to the cathedral transept's southeast pillar near an altar dedicated to Mary.

Meanwhile, a new version of an iconic cockerel, or rooster, is once again watching over Paris, symbolizing resilience amid destruction. It was installed Dec. 16, 2023, atop Notre Dame spire's cross.

Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris blessed the figure, which is a heraldic animal of the French Republic. In a moving moment, he inserted the relics of St. Denis and St. Genevieve, the city's patron saints, inside.

Notre Dame's restoration has included work on other precious sculptures and paintings, but the most anticipated relic is the one that Jesus himself wore on the day of his passion.

The crown of thorns is believed to contain actual pieces of the crown worn by Jesus during his crucifixion, and it is the most precious of the relics in Notre Dame's treasury. It takes the form of a circle, more than 8 inches in diameter. It was saved from the flames on the evening of the cathedral fire by the Parisian fire brigade's chaplain, Father Jean-Marc Fournier.

Since the inferno, the crown has been housed at the famous Louvre museum. The relic arrived along with other objects from Notre Dame's treasury: monstrances, chalices, reliquaries, crosses and sacred vessels. The Louvre's teams of experts took charge of cleaning and restoring them. From October 2023 to January 2024, they organized a special exhibition to showcase them.

But the crown of thorns was not part of the exhibition. "It is not a work of art, but an object of veneration," said Christophe Grunenwald, a knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. "All these objects are prestigious, but none is as valuable as the crown of thorns."

Throughout Lent 2024, the faithful had the opportunity to venerate the crown in the Church of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois, not far from the Louvre. This is where the daily liturgical services, usually celebrated by the canons of Notre Dame, took place as the cathedral prepared to reopen.

The crown of thorns was venerated in its crystal case adorned with gold foliage, resting on a velvet cushion. But in newly restored Notre Dame, it will have a new, modern case.

In addition, the construction of a new, contemporary-style reliquary shrine is now completed. It consists of a very large openwork wooden panel, surrounded by illuminated glass blocks. The crown will be placed at eye level. It also will house a fragment of the wood of the cross and a crucifixion nail.

In the 13th century, the emperor of Constantinople Baldwin II pawned the crown of thorns to bankers in Venice, Italy, because he needed money. After learning this, French King Louis IX, now St. Louis, collected a considerable sum of money, which enabled him to purchase it from the Venetian bankers. In 1239, the king entered Paris carrying the crown himself, barefoot and dressed in a simple tunic.

"By acquiring this crown, the king of France acquired a special status in the eyes of the Christian West," Grunenwald said. "It placed him in a tradition of Christian ancestry that gave him a privileged place within Christianity in Europe."

To house the crown, Louis IX ordered the building of Sainte-Chapelle within a few years. The architectural gem can still be visited on the Ile de la Cité, not far from Notre Dame.

During the French Revolution, "clever people placed it in the Museum of Natural History with a 'curiosity object' label, so that it would go unnoticed," Grunenwald recounted to OSV News.

At the beginning of the 19th century, once civil and religious peace had been restored in France, Emperor Napoleon handed it over to the archbishop of Paris, who had it placed in the Notre Dame Cathedral. Since then, it has been part of its treasury.

On Dec. 13, a large number of knights and dames of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre will take part in a grand ceremony for the crown's transfer to the cathedral. From December until June 2025, the crown will be presented to the faithful every first Friday of the month, as part of Notre Dame's six-month reopening festivities.