Usually venerated on the first Friday of each month at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., the Crown of Thorns will now also be displayed every other Friday from 3 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. starting on 5 December 2025.
The History of the Holy Crown of Thorns
According to the Gospels of Saint Matthew, Saint Mark and Saint John, on the night between Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, Roman soldiers mocked Christ by placing a crown of thorns on his head before crucifying him.
It was venerated in Jerusalem from the end of the 4th century, then transferred to Constantinople in the 10th century. King Saint Louis acquired the Crown of Thorns from the Latin Emperor of the East in 1238. On 19 August 1239, it arrived in Paris and was carried in procession to Notre Dame Cathedral.
To preserve it, Saint Louis then had the Sainte-Chapelle built. Despite the melting down of reliquaries during the French Revolution, the relic was preserved. It was given by Napoleon I to the Archbishop of Paris and has been kept in the treasury since 1806.
This relic invites us to contemplate the Paschal Mystery, the heart of the Christian faith, and to welcome the Promise of eternal life that Christ offers to all humanity.
