Crown of Thorns from Notre Dame to be carried in Good Friday procession in Paris
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Good Friday will be marked in the shadow of Notre Dame Cathedral with a procession carrying one of the treasures saved from this week’s devastating fire. Clergy and believers will gather along a bridge that connects the landmark to the rest of Paris on Friday for the stations of the cross, which recount Jesus’ road to his crucifixion.
The Diocese of Paris said that the Crown of Thorns, a relic believed by some to be worn by Jesus, will be part of the procession.
Events including a Good Friday ceremony and Easter Mass had been scheduled to take place in Notre Dame Cathedral, which sits directly in the middle of the French capital. However, Friday’s event and a vigil for Holy Saturday, will instead be held at the nearby Saint Sulpice church.
A composite handout image of satellite photos dated 02 September 2018 (L) and 17 April 2018, made available by DigitalGlobe on 18 April 2019, showing a view of the Notre Dame cathedral (L) before and after (R) a massive fire on on 15 April 2019, that ravaged Notre Dame of Paris Cathedral. (EPA-EFE/DIGITALGLOBE)
Led by the fire brigade’s Catholic chaplain, the Rev. Jean-Marc Fournier, first responders were able to find and save the cathedral’s most valuable relics, such as a ring of branches said to be the crown of thorns that Jesus wore, and consecrated Communion hosts from a tabernacle.
Police and culture ministry officials rescued most of the paintings in the cathedral’s many side chapels, leaving only those firmly fixed to the walls, and rushed a collection of old vestments and altar vessels to the nearby City Hall.
The three priceless rose windows, which firefighters sprayed to keep from melting, all survived, as did the great organ with its 8,000 pipes. Photographs published after the fire was put out showed little smoke damage in the nave.
The firefighters’ biggest accomplishment was to keep the blaze from consuming the iconic bell towers on the western facade. If either had fallen, the tons of bells crashing to the ground would have brought down the front of the cathedral and possibly the whole building.
In the meantime bitter debates have broken out about rebuilding the rooftop spire that dramatically fell on Monday, and about the post-fire outpouring of funds for a monument that struggled to find financing beforehand.
French opposition politicians have expressed outrage at the idea of repairs to the fire-ravaged Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris that do not faithfully reflect the largely medieval original, attacking President Emmanuel Macron’s government for raising the possibility of using modern designs or materials.
