'Crown of Thorns' returns to Notre Dame cathedral for public veneration

An ancient relic that many Christians revere as Jesus Christ’s “Crown of Thorns” is returning to Notre Dame, five years after it was saved from the flames of the cathedral’s devastating 2019 fire. The crown — a circular band of branches encased in a gilded golden tube — is being brought back to its historic home Friday. The ceremony will be presided over by the archbishop of Paris and attended by knights and dames of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher, marking a key moment in the cathedral’s restoration journey. In 1239, it was acquired by King Louis IX of France, who brought it to Paris.