Louis IX and the Crown of Thorns: Relic’s Journey to France

In 1237, a unique opportunity arose for Louis IX of France. Baldwin II, the young Emperor of Constantinople and nephew of Baldwin IX of Flanders, sought Louis's help against the Greeks. Constantinople had fallen to the Crusaders in 1204, and Baldwin II's mother, Yolande, was the sister of Isabel, Philip II's first wife and Louis IX's grandmother, making them cousins.

The Crown of Thorns: A Priceless Relic

While in France, Baldwin II revealed that the Latin barons of Constantinople, in dire need of funds, intended to sell relics, specifically the Crown of Thorns. Baldwin appealed to the 23-year-old Louis and his mother, Blanche of Castile, to prevent this sacred relic from falling into foreign or potentially pagan hands.

Negotiations were complex but concluded around Christmas 1238. For the sum of £135,000, Baldwin authorized the transfer of the Crown of Thorns to two Dominican emissaries dispatched by Louis. Upon their arrival in Constantinople, Brother Andre and Brother Jacques discovered that the Byzantine need for money was so great, and the negotiations so protracted, that the Latin barons had already offered the Crown of Thorns as collateral for a loan from Venetian bankers. The condition was that if the loan was not redeemed by June 18th (the feast of Gere and Proteé), the relic would become Venetian property.

The Venetians, known for their relic trade (having brought those of St. Mark from Alexandria in the 11th century), agreed to cede the Crown of Thorns to the French if the agreed-upon purchase price was met. However, they stipulated that the relic must stop in Venice on its journey to France.

Perilous Journey and Triumphant Arrival

Transporting such a valuable relic by sea during winter was perilous. Greek spies had learned of the sale and intended to hijack it. Nevertheless, protected by divine intervention, the Crown arrived safely by ship in Venice, where it was displayed in St. Mark's Cathedral. Brother Andre remained with the relic in Venice while Brother Jacques returned to Paris to retrieve the funds.

After further negotiations, the Crown left Venice by land under the safe conduct of Louis IX and the German Emperor Frederick II. Louis, accompanied by his mother, Archbishop Gautier Carnut of Sens, Archbishop Bernard of Auxerre, and numerous barons and knights, met the convoy at Villeneuve-l'Archevêque.

When the seals placed by the Latin barons of Constantinople and the Doge of Venice were broken, an outpouring of emotion ensued. According to Bishop Carnut of Sens, those present were "transfixed before the sight of the lovingly desired object. Their devout spirit seized by such fervor that they believe they see before their eyes the Lord in person wearing in that instant the Crown of Thorns."

Royal Procession and Distribution of Thorns

The king and his brother Robert, barefoot and clad only in tunics, carried the case housing the Crown of Thorns from Villeneuve-l'Archevêque to Sens, joined by knights who also removed their shoes. A 19th-century painting depicts this barefoot procession led by Louis.

Immense crowds gathered to welcome what Bishop Carnut described as "the living Lord in his relic." The relic was transported by boat on the River Yonne to Vincennes, where it was exhibited in the Church of Saint Antoine. It was then brought to Notre Dame in Paris and subsequently to Saint-Nicolas, the chapel of the royal palace at the time.

From the Crown of Thorns, Louis carefully removed several thorns, which he distributed to at least eight bishoprics across France, including Arras, Amiens, Bourges, Grenoble, Le Puy, and Reims.

Symbolism and Significance

Christ's Crown became a powerful symbol for the unity of France. The thorns, once part of a circular branch, were now dispersed across vast distances, uniting the nation like the spokes of an enormous wheel. The "window of relics" on the south side of the nave of the Sainte-Chapelle, located to the right of the entrance, depicts the transport and display of these relics. It features the interlacing emblems of Louis IX (the fleur-de-lis) and Blanche of Castile (small castles), signifying how French kingship was intertwined with the genealogy of Christ.

The Crown of Thorns came to embody sacred monarchy and participated in a significant motif of the 12th and 13th centuries: the westward movement of knowledge and power. This concept, known as translatio studii (translation of knowledge) and translatio imperii (translation of power), posited that learning and political organization originated in Greece, traveled to Rome, and would ultimately fulfill their destiny in France. To this, translatio sacratissimi passionis instrumentum (the transfer of the most sacred instruments of the Passion) was added, with the Nail of the Passion being the first in a series of relics, including Mary's tunic and the Shroud of Turin, which had touched Christ's body.

Further Acquisitions and the Sainte-Chapelle

Baldwin II's financial difficulties persisted, leading Louis to purchase a piece of the True Cross, the Holy Sponge (used to offer Christ vinegar), a piece of the Holy Shroud, and a piece of the purple robe Pilate made Christ wear to mock his royalty in 1241. All these relics were placed in the Sainte-Chapelle alongside the Crown of Thorns.

The Sainte-Chapelle also housed other significant relics, including the head of St. John the Baptist, the heads of St. Clement, St. Blaise, and St. Simeon, the robe of the Virgin, the linen from Christ's washing of the apostles' feet, the iron of the Holy Lance (with which Longinus pierced Christ's side), and the rod with which Moses struck the rock to produce water during the Exodus.

The Crown of Thorns: A Special Relic

The Crown of Thorns held a special significance. According to Archbishop Gautier Carnut of Sens, just as Jesus Christ chose the Promised Land to reveal the mysteries of his redemption, it was fitting to believe that to most piously venerate the triumph of his Passion, he specifically chose France. This transfer, from the region of Greece (near the East) to France (bordering the West), ensured that the name of the Lord would be praised from east to west.

The Crown of Thorns was both a royal and a Christological object. The king whose kingdom possessed it participated in the aura of divine kingship. It served as an astonishingly powerful image of suffering kingship and the triumph over suffering, allowing Louis to partake in the Passion of Jesus, who suffered on earth and triumphed over death. The Crown is an insignia of Christ's humiliated royalty, and as a symbol, it abolishes time. Just as the Crusaders who captured Jerusalem in 1099 believed they were punishing those who crucified Christ, Bishop Carnut's observation that people believed they saw "the Lord in person wearing in that instant the Crown of Thorns" highlights this timeless connection.

The Crown Today

Today, the Crown of Thorns remains in the treasury of Notre Dame in Paris. On the first Friday of each month, it is brought out and paraded around the cathedral. A video from August 2016 shows this procession.

Medieval understanding of time was flexible, allowing for easy movement between the 13th century and apostolic times. Similarly, when the Crown of Thorns is paraded today, it transports observers back to medieval and apostolic eras. In the presence of such an object, time seems to cease, as the past of the crucifixion blends with the present, creating a profound sense of eternity, as described by Augustine.

The relics assembled by Louis IX positioned him as a successor to Christ, an heir to the Roman Emperor, and a new Constantine. His possession of a piece of the cross that had touched Christ's shoulders, another relic, further solidified this image. Louis even became a new Moses, with the rod making the King of France the new head of a chosen people, a successor to the kings of Israel, and one of the king-priests of the Old Testament, continuing a lineage seen in the jamb statues of Saint-Denis and Notre Dame de Chartres.