The crown of thorns finds Notre-Dame de Paris

(Keystone-ATS) It was brought back to the cathedral during a procession made up in particular of Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, which went along Notre-Dame to the square where the faithful crowded.

Protected by a glass tube, itself placed on a purple velvet cushion, the crown was placed on the altar of the cathedral, where the Archbishop of Paris, Mgr Laurent Ulrich, celebrated a ceremony in front of around 2,000 faithful. .

“For us Christians, it is a symbol to see the crown of Christ again. It was a very beautiful moment,” explained Claudine Zorzi, 72, on the square.

The crown was then placed in the new reliquary shrine designed by designer Sylvain Dubuisson. Resolutely modern, this contemporary “reliquary wall” takes the form of a large altarpiece (3.60 x 2.60 m) in cedar wood and glass blocks forming a halo.

The relic is displayed there in a deep blue half-sphere.

The crown of thorns, called the Holy Crown or crown of Christ, is in Christian tradition the crown that was placed on the head of Christ before his crucifixion. It “is undoubtedly the most precious and the most venerated of the relics preserved at Notre-Dame de Paris”, underlines the diocese on its website.

Saved from the flames

It had been saved from the flames which ravaged Notre-Dame on April 15, 2019, just like the tunic of Saint-Louis, also preserved in the cathedral.

With a diameter of 21 centimeters, the crown is made up of a circle of rushes gathered in bundles and held by gold threads, on which were the thorns (these have been scattered over the centuries). This relic has been preserved in France since 1239, kept at the Saint-Chapelle then at Notre-Dame Cathedral since 1806.

“It was magnificent”, greeted Béatrice, 56, as she left the cathedral, “happy” because, “even without a reservation”, she “was able to return”.

This ceremony is part of an “octave” week after the reopening of Notre-Dame on the weekend of December 7 and 8, marked by numerous celebrations and religious services.