Jesus' crown of thorns returned to Notre Dame Cathedral

The relic of the crown of thorns was returned to Notre Dame in Paris on Friday last week, five years after it was saved from the devastating fire which almost completely destroyed the cathedral.&nbsp; The crown - a band of branches encased in a circular tube - was carried back to its home in a ceremony presided over by Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris and the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, which has served as the crown’s honour guard since 1923. One of the knights, dressed in a large black cloak with red trim, held the crown of thorns on a red velvet cushion throughout the procession, which involved 400 members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, including 200 knights dressed in white coats marked with the red Jerusalem cross. The relic was first mentioned by Jerusalem pilgrims in the 5th century before being transferred to Constantinople in the 10th century. King Louis IX of France acquired it in 1239, bringing it to Paris where it was housed at Notre Dame before going to the Sainte-Chapelle for safekeeping. It was later returned to Notre Dame. During the 2019 fire, the relic was rescued by firemen and was stored in a sealed case among other relics while the cathedral underwent major renovations in a bid to restore it to its former glory. From now on the crown of thorns will be displayed every Friday from 10 January, 2025, until Good Friday; on other days it will be stored in the safe inside the cathedral's marble altar. <em>(PARIS, FRANCE - DECEMBER 13: The procession during a ceremony marking the return of the Crown of Thorns relic to Notre Dame Cathedral on December 13, 2024 in Paris, France. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)</em>