The Crown of Thorns

Notre-Dame de Paris houses many essential items, including the most important relic in the world: the Crown of Thorns. 

But why is it in Paris, you ask? In this week's episode, I will share the entire story of this precious piece of history. 

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Bonjour, bonjour, and welcome to episode 10 of Paris in Blue Blanc Rouge. And I'm really excited to share this story with you, as I am every week. But this is one that I uh I really enjoy and love to be able to find when I am in the churches and especially the Louvre, because in my life all roads lead to the Louvre. So I will jump right in because it's perfect timing because we are a few weeks before Easter. And this is a subject that maybe not a lot of people know about, or I get a lot of people saying, Why is it in Paris? So I'm gonna tell you all about it and then hang on to the end because today the Orsay opened the new exhibit, two exhibits dedicated to Renoir, and I was there this morning to see it, and I want to tell you a little bit about it because it's just fantastic. But today I'm gonna share the story with you about the crown of thorns. Now, if you are somebody that is not religious, um, don't turn away. Uh, this is a story that of course is is uh rooted in Christianity, but it's also a hist the history, and it's also just a really interesting story. And uh with many of these things, it is you will just have more information. So if you do go into the Louvre or you do go into a church, especially in Paris, and you see why is that guy holding that thing that looks like a bunch of thorns? Now you're gonna know a little bit more about it. And that's what I love to do. I love to share those stories, and I just love these stories too. So I'll jump right in. Each Friday afternoon, the most important relic in the world makes its appearance for the faithful once again inside the Cathedral of Notre Dame du Paris. After the fire of on April 15, 2019, the crown of thorns had been safely hidden away at the Louvre and displayed during Lent and the Holy Week at the Église Saint Germain de l'Axaroire. In January 2025, the famed crown returned once again to Notre Dame. But why is it in Paris, you ask? The crown of thorns and other instruments of the Passion were purchased in 1238 by King Louis IX, later known as Saint Louis. But let's go back even further. The crown, of course, is deeply rooted in Christianity, but it's also an important piece of history. I've had many people scoff, laugh, and ask if it's the real crown of thorns, and I always reply, that's for you to decide, and that's what faith is. As a historian, I love sharing the story behind an object, a piece of art, or historic building, and the people who make each of these subjects so interesting. After the Romans arrested the man being called the new king, they created a crown of woven branches covered in thorns and placed it on his head. The thorns were two to three inches long and dug into his scalp, drawing blood. A red cloth representing a royal mantle was tossed around his shoulders and a reed for a scepter was mockingly placed in his bound hands. The crown remained on his head until his mother Mary removed it after he was taken down from the cross. The story is recalled in the New Testament by Mark, Matthew, and John. What the crown is made of has always been a matter of debate, with a few possible answers. It is two separate plants, a reed that is braided into a crown and a thorny branch that was wrapped around it and bent inwards. The thorny branch is thought to be of a Judea buckthorn shrub found in Jerusalem, but it could also be a hawthorn, which is a Mediterranean shrub that was dotted with thorns. The crown was said to have been discovered in the fourth century after Emperor Constantine ordered the search of the Holy Land for the tomb of Christ. His mother, the future Saint Elena, led the expedition, and the legend tells us that she was looking on as the true cross was uncovered along with the crown of thorns and nails, all parts of the instruments of the Passion. The first mention of the crown being venerated dates to 409 in Jerusalem, when witnessed by the Bishop Polinos of Nola in a letter he had sent to the Bishop Macarios. Between 530 and 560, the crown was safely kept in the basilica of the Mount Zion. Visitors and historians report that the vines would turn green and even grow at times. There are reports of the thorns still held today which have turned green or even bled, but there isn't any scientific evidence of this. Between 614 and 637, when the city of Jerusalem was captured, the relics began their voyage to Constantinople. Dating the exact moment the crown arrived is a bit harder. Frequent mentions of the thorns themselves date to the 7th century, but many had already been cut off in Jerusalem and obtained by the leaders throughout Europe. We could be sure that if they arrived into the city of the Byzantium by the end of the 10th century and was housed in the chapel of the Palatine of the Pharaohs. The holy chapel, Saint Chapelle, built in the palace of the Byzantine Emperors, had many holy relics, including items of the Passion. For centuries they remained until the Byzantine city was conquered at the beginning of the 13th century and pawned to the Latin Emperor in hopes that he would protect the now fractured capital. Cousin to Saint Louis, Baldwin II, the Emperor of Constantinople, came to France in 1236 asking him to help with the massive debt he had incurred by borrowing from the Venetians and giving the crown as collateral. From November 10, 1238 to February 1239, the crown resided in Venice at St. Mark's Cathedral. Baldwin II, in return for his help, would give Louis in France the crown of thorns. In December 1238, a letter was sent to Quirino stating that the French were sending a delegation to cover the debt at Constantinople and in return would receive the crown. The brothers Jacques and Andre de Langermeaux of the Order of the Preachers were sent to Venice on behalf of King Louis IX with Nicola de Sorreau. Andre was had resided in the Dominican convent in Constantinople before and had seen the crown many years ago. A fact that would come in handy later in the authentication of the relic. The man later known as Saint Louis and his devotion to the church played a part in the agreement to settle the debt. With the option of also obtaining the crown of thorns came up, he had to do all he could to protect and care for it. This wasn't an easy transaction. The Venetian barons were in desperate need of money and borrowed against the relic and sped up the clock. The French envoy had to race to Venice to retrieve the items. The deadline was June 18th, the feast day of Saint Gervais and Porte. If not purchased by that day, it would forever be the property of Venice. Jacques and Andre arrived a day before on June 17, 1238, and were met with a new challenge and a price tag. King Louis IX, who was 24 years old at the time, had already paid 21,000 pounds to free the crown. But as Jacques and Andre arrived, they were given a new bill for £137,000. It was a half the French monarchy's budget, but Louis would pay and agree to allow the Venetians to hold onto the crown for the faithful to see one last time at St. Mark's. Negotiations took six months, and in January 1239, the crown finally made its way through Italy and Germany to reach France. Due to the relic's fame and fragility, it had to be protected at every step. Before a travel, Louis IX sent a letter to Emperor Frederick II of Germany asking for his help in protecting the soldiers' relic and housing the men along the way. The relic first arrived at the medieval city of Trois and was taken to the manor of the Molena Repo, close to the small town of the Villa Neu Archevec. The manor is no longer there, but a cross and a plaque mark the spot of the historic event. Jacques and Andre de Langermeaux carried the relic and a sealed letter from Baldwin authenticating the crown. On August 10th, 1239, Louis IX arrived, and the Archbishop Gautier Corneau placed the crown of thorns into his hands. The scene is depicted in the painting by Jean Andre and is housed at the Église Saint Thomas de Cain in Paris. Andre, also known as Brother Andre of Saint Dominique at the Jacobin Convent on Rue de Bac, painted this around 1710 for the convent. Seized during the Revolution and sold in 1798, in 2010, the Friends of the St. Thomas Church purchased the painting. The next day, Saint Louis, his mother Blanche de Castille, and his brother Robert d'Artois walked to the nearby town of Sans. Louis and Robert carried the crown on their shoulders into the abbey of Saint Pierre Levif. The entire town lined the streets and filled the abbey for a glimpse of the relic and the king. On August 11th, the crown and its guardians traveled by boat on the Yon and the Seine to Paris. Stopping along the way in Moulin and Montereux, they finally arrived in Vincent a week later. Louis stepped out of the boat with the bishops of France who waited with the nuns, priests, and clerics for a glimpse of the precious item. On August eighteenth, Louis, in a simple tunic and barefoot, walked the crown into Paris. The path was lined with thousands of the faithful holding torches to light the way. Upon arrival, a mass was held at Notre Dame before taking the crown to the Palais de la Cite and placing it into the Chapelle de Saint Nicolas on August nineteenth until a suitable reliquary could be created. Not just any building would do for one of the most important relics in the world. Two years later, in the autumn of twelve forty one, the construction of the Saint Chapelle began. The same year, Louis acquired a large piece of the Holy Cross, a vial of the holy blood, and the tombstone. The following year the holy sponge and spear came into his possession and were all placed in the Saint Chapelle after it was finished and consecrated on April 26, 1248. The cost to build the chapel was a third of what he spent to obtain the crown. They would remain in the jewel box church until March 1789. In 1791, the Concier d'Ata disuppressed the church and sequestered the relics. On March twelfth, they were removed for safekeeping and placed in a cardboard box at the Abbey of Saint Denis. They were the property of the crown until 1791. In the dark of night between november eleventh and twelfth, seventeen ninety three, the relics were taken to the mint, melted down, and destroyed. Only the crown, a piece of the true cross, and a nail survived. On april twenty fifth, seventeen ninety four, which also happens to be the birthday of Saint Louis, the crown was moved to the Biblioteque Nationale, or at least one of the pieces was. During the Revolution, in order to protect the crown, it was cut into three pieces and separated for safekeeping. Thankfully, all three pieces are united today. On December 6, 1804, just four days after his coronation, Napoleon had the relics transferred to Notre Dame, and on August 10th, 1806, they would be seen by the public for the first time in more than 500 years. On July 29, 1830, during the three glorious days, the Archbishop Celin fled the church with the relics under his arm while an angry mob broke into the cathedral. The archbishop fled to Normandy, where the relics were safely hidden in a chateau until 1843. Many of the cathedral's relics were stolen, melted down, or thrown into the Seine. In 1855, the crown nail and the piece of the true cross was safely back at Notre Dame. The current reliquary that surrounds the crown was made by the goldsmith Maurice Rousson and placed in sight on March 20, 1896 from a design by the architect Jules Gaufrey Ostruc. Maurice's father, Plasy, created the former reliquary. The crown is enclosed in a hollow rock crystal tube encased in gold garland of flowers, leaves, fruits, and thorns on two of the three sections. They are joined at a gold clasp and topped with an enameled plaque. On the front, the seals are of Saint Denis, Saint Jean Vieve, and the Virgin Mary. On the back are the crests of Saint Louis, Paris, and the effigy of Christ being crowned with thorns. On the night of the fire, April 2019, after we watched the spire and the rooster fall from the sky, the next sphere was a relic of the sacristy and the crown. The very tight security around the crown made difficult in that high pressure moment. Tucked away into the floor of the chapel was a series of combination key locks that required two keys. The keys are normally never together. That night in a state of panic, the two key holders had to fight through the crowds to reach Notre Dame. The keys were handed to the chaplain of the Pompier de Paris, Jean-Marc Fournier, who put his life on the line and rushed into the cathedral to save the Crown of Thorns. Many of the bishops of Paris have left their mark on Notre Dame and not always for the best, and many want to wipe away the influence of Violet Le Duc. In 2005, Carnal Lustier reached out to the architect and artist Sylvain Du Bousson to create a new reliquary to hold the Crown of Thorns. The cardinal passed away less than two years later, and the project died with him. In 2023, the current bishop Ulrich called Du Buisson out of the blue and asked the artist to pick up where he left off. Du Buisson happily accepted this great honor, continued his research into the history of the crown, from its origin to its Byzantine journey to the reliquary church of Saint Chapelle that was created for it. The wall is made of cedar to emulate the true cross. Cut into the wall are 360 openings, each holding a gilded bronze thorn. The gilded gold is reminiscent of the Byzantine churches where the crown of thorns was kept until the 13th century. The openings are more significant at the top than at the bottom, allowing natural light to stream in. In the center are 396 glass cabouchons, each etched with a cross on the back and then covered with 24 karat gold. When on view, they surround the crown of thorns, which hangs in the center of the that's painted klein blue and frames and glows in the light. Standing at just over 11 feet tall, the center was placed above eye level for viewing from every angle. The three-ton sculpture sits on a Carrera marble base that holds a safe where they say the crown, the nail, and a piece of the cross lie when not on display. It is then topped with 100 LED candles. Dubisson worked with the Atelier Saint-Jacques to create the piece, and they worked for over 4,700 hours together for its completion. Upon the reopening of the cathedral, the crown was moved to the central chapel of the Axial, the chapel of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, places it in the direct line from the baptistry at the entrance to the altar, the tabernacle of the host on the high altar, the pieta, and then the holy relics. I have to admit at the beginning, before the cathedral opened, when I saw pictures of this, I didn't like it. I didn't like anything they were bringing in that was new, but I have grown to love it and it is absolutely gorgeous and looks like it just glows. It's gorgeous even when the most significant relic in the world is not hanging in it. The previous reliquary created by Violet Le Duc is the real Showstopper. In 1862, Violet produced with goldsmith, Rosson, and sculptor of Notre Dame, Adolf Victor Jaffrey Duchamp, first used on Palm Sunday, March 29th, 1863 for the procession and then all the way until the fire. Surrounding the top are French Florida Leaves and Twelve Apostles. Below are the three figures that played a role in the journey of the crown. Baldwin II, Saint Helena, and Saint Louis is seen holding the crown. You can see the reliquary in the treasury of Notre Dame. It was on display at the Louvre a few years ago when they had a fantastic exhibit, and it was displayed even better there because you could see all the sides, and I'll have pictures on my website, so check it out. Prior to the fire, the crown only came out on the first Friday of each month and each Friday of Lent. The veneration ceremony for the Crown of Thorns was designed by Saint Louis himself, not the Catholic Church. The very specific ceremony and the showing of the relics can only happen during Easter as established over 785 years ago to celebrate the resurrection. Since its return to Notre Dame, due to the high demand of visitors, the crown is now brought out every Friday of the year with a veneration on the first Fridays of each month from 3 to 5 p.m. and then displayed each Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 30 p.m. August 11th was chosen by Louis for the annual feast day in celebration of the date the crown was first placed in his hands and still marked at Notre Dame. Open to the faithful historians and anyone who wants to see this priceless relic. Standing nearby are the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem who guard the crown and honor the wishes first established in the 13th century. During the veneration, you could actually go up to the crown and touch it, pray to it, even kiss it. There's always somebody there with a, you know, some sort of a little wipey thing to clean it after you've kissed it. But, you know, if you're so in enamored you want to do that, go for it. You could visit Saint Chapelle today. It is no longer an active church and none of the relics remain, but it's a must see for the 1,113 stained glass scenes, including the last set on the south side. The 171 windows of the last section cover the discovery of the relics from Saint Helena to Saint Louis in adoration of the crown at the very top. The former reliquaries, including my favorite with the figures of Louis Baldwin and Aline, as well as the other reliquaries that have been attached to the crown, the thorns, and even a few that once held the peace of the true cross, can be found in the treasury of Notre Dame. The tunic worn by Saint Louis that survived the revolution and was held in the treasury of Charles VI in 1418. A sleeve and some of the fabric is missing that was cut away, and a parchment note that was attached authenticating the item to have belonged to Saint Louis. We don't know if this was the one he wore when he carried the cross, but anytime he appeared before the relic, he always wore a plain white tunic, nothing on his head, and nothing on his feet. The crown could be spotted throughout Paris in the many churches and of course the Musee de Louvre, from the Italian masters in the Grand Gallery to the French painting floor in the Sully Wing. I love finding paintings and sculptures that include the crown. Inside the Basilie Saint-Cloutiel in the 7th arrondissement is the chapel of the Sacred Heart. The fresco on the right by Francois Edouard Picot depicts Aline's discovery of the true cross. The next chapel over at Saint Louis tells his story of obtaining the crown in the stained glass and the frescoes. The small Saint Louis-en-Lille church on the Isle Saint-Louis, dedicated to the Saintly King of France, has many reminders of the crown, including a wonderful bronze statue as you enter, and the back chapel with more paintings in stained glass. Many of the churches in Paris include a chapel of Saint Louis, such as Saint-Soupice, with the fantastic central stained glass window of the king holding the crown dated to the 17th century. Check my website for more of these fantastic pieces that you could see all over Paris. And now, you know, it's just like having a red car. As soon as you have the red car, you notice all the red cars. Now, hopefully, when you've heard this and you see a crown, you'll see them everywhere. It's a very different crown from the crowns that are the kings of known with diamonds and everything on it. Uh, but that was part of the whole thing, was it was mocking, uh, mocking Christ as being the new king. And so they were going to make a crown for him. So it's more precious than any of the crowns that have diamonds on it. Uh, if you want to see some more about this, there is a fantastic documentary series I found on, I think it was originally done by CNN, but you can find it on the HBO app. It's called Finding Jesus: Faith, Fact, and Forgery. They don't talk about specifically about the crown of thorns, but they do um have an episode about the true cross and other relics, and it's really interesting because they give you the story of it, and then they actually scientifically test it to see if it is if each item is in fact real. Um, another show that I love that I'm I have watched so many times. I'm just absolutely obsessed with this show. I think it's so good. It was originally done on CNN, um, so you could also find on the HBO app. Um, it is voiced by Liam Neeson, and it's called The Pope, the Most Powerful Man in History, and it follows the Pope from the very first one of St. Peter. Um, it doesn't go over every have a story for every Pope that there is, but they do talk about Constantine and St. Helena um and then the discovery of the true cross. But regardless, it's it's so good. It's really, really fascinating. Um, and you know, if you're on HBO while you're at it, check out Jude Law as the new Pope because you'll never forget it. I'll just leave it at that. And if you want to know more about this story, there was a fantastic uh series that as on in at least in France, it's on Netflix, it might be on Amazon in the States, but it's a show called The Chosen, and I believe it's just five or six seasons so far, and it is the story of Christ, and it starts as he's kind of gathering up his different apostles, and uh it's really, really well done. And it the last season stopped um just before the passion. So uh, but it's really if you want to learn more, I learned so much from um a history standpoint of this, and it is endorsed by a lot of um people that know what they're talking about when it comes to uh the stories of the Bible. And I thought it was, it was, it's so well done. The acting's really good, and um, the guy plays St. Peter is pretty hot too. So, you know, just watch watch Jude Law and then watch uh Peter in the Chosen. Um it's really fascinating, and I love watching it from a historical standpoint. It's really interesting. Um, so but the last thing I want to leave you with is the new Renoir exhibit. It just opened this morning, March 17th, and it runs until July 19th. There's actually two uh different exhibits. There's one that's Renoir and and Love, and it's paintings, but there's a second exhibit that's of drawings. And the exhibit that the paintings is fantastic. The boating party is there, which I actually saw in um the Phillips collection in DC years ago. But my favorite was the fact that they had the third dancer. So Renoir had created the three dancers with Suzanne Valadant um modeling for two. Um, she actually originally modeled for all three, and then his uh his lover, Eileen, future wife, kind of freaked out and destroyed one of the paintings, so he had to redo it and he did it with Eileen's face. But the Orsay owns two of these paintings. The third one is kept in Boston, and I have always dreamed of seeing these three together, and I pretty much just almost raced through to find it, and it is there, and I was so excited. I might have even shed a tear or two, but it was fantastic, and they also did two really cool things with the boating party and also the dance at the Moulin de la Galette. They have this really cool information um kind of table in front of it that depicts like these are the people in the these are the characters and the people in the painting, and it it's it's so well done, but do not miss the one dedicated drawings. And this one is probably not going to be the one people go to. They'll go to the big exhibit and they'll skip the drawings. But honestly, I think the drawing one is even better. It is amazing. It has um pastels that he did, drawings that he did, you know, that are done in charcoal or red clay, or it's just it's so amazing. Um, I actually ran into somebody I knew in there, and I had said that I was like, oh my god, this one's even better. And she was she had thought, oh, really better than the paintings, and then she found me again later and said, Oh my god, no, you're right. Because is I love seeing those kinds of things that you see basically into the thought process of the artist, and he had little tiny drawings of things that he saw in the Louvre, so of course I completely nerded out about that, and now I'm gonna go into the Louvre and find the thing that he sketched and I'll share that. But um, well, I'll have to do an episode about it. Um, but what I was also, I almost cried when I saw a the pat a painting that he did of Julie Manet and her mother, Bert Morrisau, that I did um the story of Bert Morrisot a few episodes ago. And this was the last thing done of Bert, and this was just a few months before she died, and it's Bert and her daughter, Julie, and I have not seen that in person before. And I was so happy when I saw it, and I just stood there looking at it. Um he has another uh drawing as well as the painting of Julie holding her cat. The painting's always in the orsay, but I had not seen the drawing. So uh I was very excited, and I'll have some of this in my newsletter that will go out on March 18th as well. Um, but definitely if you're gonna be in Paris before July 19th, check this out. We have so many amazing exhibits opening up here um in the next few weeks, and I'll share more of those shortly. So make sure you uh check out my website for more pictures and everything. Also, I did a special YouTube video this past Sunday outside of the um Notre Dame because finally we could see the part part of the north northern side of the cathedral is now completely um free of any wall or anything. It like it's it's so great. You can see, and you can see the whole um the cloister door. Um so I did a whole episode about that, sharing that early in the morning when there was nobody there, and then also a little glimpse into the Fonton Saint-Michel that is actually being restored, and part of it was revealed. So check that out on YouTube. Um, uh subscribe to my newsletter. And if you're coming to Paris and you want to book a walking tour, reach out to me on my website and we could create and put something together just for you walking through the streets of Paris. All right, guys, thank you so much for joining me this week, and I'll have more for you before next week.