The Relics

Notre Dame houses some of Christianity's most treasured relics.

In the 13th century, French King Louis IX, the future Saint Louis, set about buying as many relics as he could.

He spent approximately half of the French national budget to do so - acquiring the Holy Lance, the Holy Sponge and the Crown of Thorns in the process.

He also built the Sainte Chapelle to house them - which can still be visited today.

However during the French Revolution, the Sainte Chapelle was looted, and its relics were moved to Notre Dame for safekeeping.

These relics were added to Notre Dame’s own collection - which already included a white tunic belonging to Saint Louis, fragments of his jaw, rib, and teeth, and bones and hair from Saint Denis and Saint Geneviève.

Every other Friday afternoon, the Crown of Thorns is publicly displayed, under the watchful eye of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, a special military order operating under the authority of the pope.

Fun fact : not all relics stayed inside the cathedral, though.

In 1935, an archbishop placed some of the relics of Saint Denis and Saint Geneviève inside a weathervane at the top of the cathedral's spire to protect the congregation from lightning!