Crown of Thorns Among Relics Saved From Flames at Notre Dame; Some Still Missing

Zachary Stieber
By Zachary Stieber
April 16, 2019World News
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Some of Notre Dame’s precious relics were saved by rescuers after a fire broke out at the Paris cathedral, but others were still missing after the flames were finally extinguished.

The Crown of Thorns, said to have been worn by Jesus, was saved by Father Jean-Marc Fournier, chaplain of the Paris Fire Department who previously served as a military chaplain and insisted on being allowed to enter the building, reported French Catholic news network KTO editor Etienne Loraillere on Twitter, sharing a picture of the father.

The priest was widely hailed as a hero.

Paris’s Deputy Mayor for Tourism and Sports, Jean-Francois Martins, said that people formed a human chain to get out the relics before they could be consumed by the fire.

“We made a human chain, with our friends from the church… to get, as quick as possible, to get all the relics,” he told CBS.

“Thanks to the great bravery of all our firefighters, and as well all the public servants there, we had a very quick intervention. Very quickly a team was fully dedicated to save all these holy pieces, and specifically the relics and the crown,” Martins said. “Everything is safe and undamaged, and in our really bad day, we had one good news.”

The crown, regarded as Notre Dame’s most sacred relic, was among the treasures quickly transported from the Roman Catholic cathedral after the fire broke out and was taken to City Hall.

The Tunic of Saint Louis, said to have belonged to Louis IX, the King of France from 1226 to 1270, was saved as well.

NTD Photo
A view of the tunic allegedly worn by Saint Louis on display inside the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral in Paris on Nov. 29, 2012. (Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty Images)
organ of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral
A picture of the organ of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral in Paris, on Feb. 1, 2004. (Stephane De Sakutin/AFP/Getty Images)

Also surviving was the Roman Catholic cathedral’s famous 18th-century organ that boasts more than 8,000 pipes and statues removed from the roof for restoration just days ago were saved.

A number of paintings and other works of art were also salvaged or went unburnt, including the three rose windows inside the cathedral and a cross that stands at the altar.

“The works of art, the most precious treasures were secured last night,” Culture Minister Franck Riester told reporters, thanking teams from city hall, the culture ministry, firefighters and the bishopric who worked to save the items. He said that works would be taken to the Louvre to be dehumidified, protected, and eventually restored.

Relics survive Notre Dame fire
A cross at the altar in Notre-Dame de Paris survived the massive fire along with a number of other relics in Paris, France, April 16, 2019. (Christophe Petit Tesson/Pool via Reuters)

Paintings that were not removed were going to be taken out of the cathedral starting on Friday. “We assume they have not been damaged by the fire but there will eventually be damage from the smoke,” Riester said.

The fate of other relics was unclear, including those of St. Denis and St. Genevieve, which were housed inside the spire that collapsed during the fire, reported the New York Post.

A piece of Jesus’s cross and a nail said to have been used during the Crucifixion were also not accounted for.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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