(OSV News): After a fire engulfed Notre Dame Cathedral in 2019, horrified onlookers around the world donated nearly US$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 Nazi hands, with general, and later president, 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 on December 8, when it reopens after the devastating fire of 15 April 2019.
On November 15, the iconic Virgin and Child, also referred to as the Virgin of Paris or the Virgin of the Pillar that was spared by the fire will be returned to the cathedral. It has since been housed in the church of Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois, near the Louvre
On November 15, the iconic Virgin and Child, also referred to as the Virgin of Paris or the Virgin of the Pillar that was spared by the fire will be returned to the cathedral. It has since been housed in the church of Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois, near the Louvre.
Dating back to the 14th century, it 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, symbolising resilience amid destruction. It was installed 16 December 2023, atop the cross atop Notre Dame spire.
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, including the crown of thorns, believed to contain actual pieces of the crown worn by Jesus during his crucifixion.
Notre Dame’s restoration has included work on other precious sculptures and paintings, including the crown of thorns, believed to contain actual pieces of the crown worn by Jesus during his crucifixion
It is the most precious of the relics in Notre Dame’s treasury. More than 20.3 centimetres in diametre, it was saved from the 2015 fire by the Parisian fire brigade’s chaplain, Father Jean-Marc Fournier.
It was housed at the Louvre museum along with other objects from Notre Dame’s treasury. The Louvre’s teams of experts took charge of cleaning and restoring them. From October 2023 to January 2024, a special exhibition showcased them.
But the crown of thorns was not part of the exhibition. “It is not a work of art, but an object of veneration,” explained Christophe Grunenwald, a knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
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.
At the beginning of the 19th century, once civil and religious peace had been restored in France, 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 December 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.
