Crown of Thorns saved from Notre Dame fire

The Crown of Thorns.
(Image credit: Philippe Lopez/Getty Images)

The Notre Dame cathedral in Paris is home to ancient relics held sacred by Catholics, and as the structure burned on Monday, there were fears that all of the irreplaceable items inside might be destroyed.

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By late Monday, police announced that the fire was under control, and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo shared some good news: The Crown of Thorns, a relic believed to have been worn by Jesus Christ, was safe, along with the Tunic of Saint Louis. She also said several pieces of artwork made it out unscathed, but did not specify which pieces. The cathedral is filled with paintings and sculptures, including a series of 76 paintings depicting the New Testament's Acts of the Apostles and a 1648 portrait of St. Thomas Aquinas.

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It's unclear if the famous stained-glass Rose Windows, dating back to the 13th century, have been damaged or destroyed, and there is also no word yet on the fragment of the True Cross and the Holy Nail that were kept inside the cathedral's treasury. Because the cathedral is being renovated, some items had been removed before the fire started.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.