Pod Insights Hot History The knights who guard the crown of thorns! About this episode Hello you, welcome back to Hot History! Today's ep looks at the secret Parisian order of monastic knights who guard what some believe to be Jesus's crown of thorns!
We will look at:
1. Origin of this order
2. Origin of this crown from Jerusalem to Paris
3. Role of the order today & the Notre Dame fire
4. Authenticating the crown
PLUS we look at the difference between normal archaeological artifacts and religious relics, and how to authenticate them in the modern day (or not)!
If you like this episode, feel free to share it with your friends or leave us a review. Make sure to tune in next week for our episode on the scandalous diamond necklace which lost Marie Antoinette her head!
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Til next week, Ainslie x
Transcript 0:15 Speaker 00 Cheers to fall savings at Whole Foods Market, home of higher ingredient standards. This Halloween, share chocolates and candies made without that spooky high fructose corn syrup. Throwing a party? Make it easy with a berry chantilly cake, ready to cook pizza, no antibiotics ever chicken wings, and sushi made fresh daily. Fall gatherings never tasted better. Save through November 3rd at Whole Foods Market.
0:43 Speaker 01 And when they had plaited a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head and a wreath in his right hand, and they bowed the knee before him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews." That is Matthew 27:29, describing the moment the feigned crown of thorns was placed on Jesus's head, and read by me, Ainslie Harvey, right here on Hot History, the podcast covering all the things in history that you probably should know, but don't. Now, before you freak out, this is not an episode about Jesus or Christianity. This is about the mysterious ancient Parisian order with links to the Crusades, who guard
1:28 Speaker 01 what some believe is the actual crown of thorns, described in that verse, and held in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Now, you may be thinking, "Dever, I didn't even know the crown of thorns was real or survived, let alone it was in like fucking Notre Dame with Esmeralda and the Hunchback." But it is. Well, they believe it is. And we'll get to authenticating it later, but for the sake of the beginning part of this episode, we are subscribing to the belief that this is the crown of thorns spoken about in the Bible, and we are following the historical journey of that crown, from its time in Jerusalem to Paris, and the role this mysterious order. That's tasked to guard it, hats.
2:14 Speaker 01 Now, I do want to note at the top, I will be referring to the city of Jerusalem as Jerusalem, given this is the historic name of the city during the times of Christ and the Crusades, which are the two key periods in which the city is in its historical context here that we'll talk about. But I do want to reinforce, however, that the international community largely considers East Jerusalem today an occupied territory by Israel under international law, and want to repeat and reiterate that it is the political, economic and spiritual heart of Palestinian life. But for the sake of historical accuracy, to the time periods we will cover today, I will be using Jerusalem, exactly how one would call like Istanbul, Constantinople,
3:00 Speaker 01 if they were looking at the city pre 1930. But, guys, as part of this story today, we are also going to cover a pretty central part of the Crown's modern history, the 2019 Notre Dame Fire, because this is when I first heard about it. Now, again, I like to consider myself pretty well, like, pop culture-wise, historical-wise, informed about what's going on. Like, I love travel and tourism as well, so like, I thought that I would know about this, but I had never heard of this until the fire. So, I was on TikTok, I'm doom scrolling, I'm killing brain cells, I'm having, you know, the best time online.
3:42 Speaker 01 But this is in the days after the Notre Dame Fires, and someone shared this footage, and I've tried to find it and cannot find it, it's been like scrubbed from the internet, of these firefighters forming this big human chain and passing something down this chain. And so I'm thinking, you know, what is this? I'm clicking into the comments, it's obviously all in French, so I'm trying to translate it, and someone says it's the crown of thorns.
4:09 Speaker 01 I'm thinking, okay, like, obviously it's not. So I start Googling and it turns out there is a deep history of the Crown of Thorns in France dating back to the 13th century. So of course, at this point, guys, I am in a rabbit hole. I'm in deep on all things Christian relics, like the Holy Lance, Hitler's obsession. Um, you know, with divine powers, like there is a skull of Mary Magdalene, all this shit, right? To the point that my algorithm is possessed with this and the fire, which is how I stumbled across this one video of these like mysterious figures,
4:52 Speaker 01 kind of coming from all of these different directions at like dusk as night's kind of setting, and coming to collect one of these items that was taken out of Notre Dame by the firefighters. And it turns out it was the Crown of Thorns, which Father Jean-Marc Fournier, the chaplain of the Paris Fire Department, ended up finding and saving after a phone call from said mysterious men, who were the only ones who knew where the crown was held in the cathedral, because it was moved around to different like secure holding places within the building, so that it could never like be be found and discovered in one place. And very few people knew its location. So of course, I'm going.
5:36 Speaker 01 At this point, I don't think like ChatGPT was a thing when I was going on Google. I'm like, who are these men? Are they agents? Like, are they conservatives? Who deals with the conservation and like handling of religious relics? Like artifacts are one thing, but these relics are entirely venerated and sacred. And like, what's the process with their upkeep? And it turns out, guys, these men were the Parisian knights of the equestrian order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. That's a lot of words, but I know it means they're old and important.
6:16 Speaker 01 Because growing up, one of my sacred texts was National Treasure with Nicolas Cage, which was all about like the Knights Templar, the Freemasons, the Crusades. So a mysterious order guarding a mysterious relic, sign me up.
6:33 Speaker 01 So who are these nuts? What's this order? And to answer this, we are going back to 1103 after the defeat of the Muslims in the first crusade. For those of you listening along at home or watching here on Spotify, who are thinking, well, I've heard of the term crusade, but like, I'm not quite sure what it really means. We're going to do a super quick history because it is pretty confusing. And there was like eight or nine of them. So basically, there's this guy. His name's Pope Urban the Second, and he's over here in Rome, the new heart of the Christian world, and he's feeling kind of shit. Because Rome isn't actually the home of Christianity.
7:19 Speaker 01 That's Bethlehem and Jerusalem, where Jesus was born and crucified and buried. And if you believe, rose again. Now, this guy's the Pope, so obviously he does believe. And at this point in history, Jerusalem has been under Islamic rule for over 450 years since the rapid Arab conquests of the 7th century. So Pope Urban the Second decides to deliver this speech. It is this super fiery, hectic speech, basically saying like, we want it back. It should be ours. And if you go on this holy war, if you put aside all of your differences,
8:02 Speaker 01 because at this point in time, like, a lot of the different factions within like Christian Europe are all fighting with each other. If you go on this holy war, this crusade, all of your sins will be forgiven. You'll get into heaven, like happy days, all good. Big man says, you can use my discount code. At the gates of Jerusalem, you'll be accepted, you know? Now, we hear this today and go propaganda. But Christendom at the time, which like I said, was largely divided, frothed to this. They were screaming out Deus Vui, Deus Voo, or God's Will. And basically, they banded together. They took up arms under the banner of the cross. They travelled to Jerusalem, where they engaged in a series of bloody battles, murder a bunch of people, and eventually they take the city in 1099.
8:45 Speaker 01 But again, it's all good because you forgive it, right? Now the Crusades had a lot of leaders. And one of them was the Duke of Lower Lorraine in France, and his name is Godfrey de Bullion. And he was instrumental to the Christian successors in 1099, so much so, they wanted him to be the first ruler of Christian Jerusalem. He very cautiously accepts this, but he refuses to take the title of king, instead ruling as the advocate of the Holy Sepulchre. Now, the Holy Sepulchre is going to come up a bit, so what is it? It is this place, this church, this building,
9:27 Speaker 01 recognised as the physical site of Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection. There's, like I said, a church standing there since 362 AD, which was where this meeting to determine the new leadership of Jerusalem took place. It is alleged that Godfrey, when offered the title of king, looked around at the church where he was standing and said, "I refused to wear a crown of gold when my saviour had worn a crown of thorns." Here, coincident to the mention? I think not. You see, as part of this new role, Godfrey was responsible, really, for organising the religious military and public bodies of Jerusalem.
10:09 Speaker 01 Again, remember, guys, you have this war-torn, ragtag group of people who have come on this mission with the promise of their sins being forgiven. They've killed a bunch of fucking people. Now that they're done, and they're there, like, what do they do? And what does Godfrey do with them? So as part of this, he decides to found the Order of Cannons of the Holy Sepulchre. Now, the modern Notre Dame Knights, the Crown of Thorn Knights, are known as the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, but it's the same order, its name has just changed, like. So many times throughout history. From now on, guys, I'm just gonna call them like from the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. You guys know what I'm talking about, right?
10:52 Speaker 00 Cheers to fall savings at Whole Foods Market, home of higher ingredient standards. This Halloween, share chocolates and candies made without that spooky high fructose corn syrup. Throwing a party? Make it easy with a berry chantilly cake. Ready to cook pizza? No antibiotics ever chicken wings. And sushi made fresh daily. Fall gatherings never tasted better. Save through November 3rd at Whole Foods Market.
11:21 Speaker 02 It's getting chilly outside. But you know what that means?
11:27 Speaker 02 It's time to cozy up with Panera Bread. Let's get toasty, cheesy. Oh, hello broccoli cheddar soup in a bread bowl. How about melty? Okay, Chipotle chicken avo melt. It's dipping bread and soupy goodness season. Oh yeah, we are so back. It's Panera season. Order now.
11:51 Speaker 01 So Godfrey founds this order for a few different reasons. The overarching element is to take care of the church. This landmark religious space associated with the death and resurrection of Jesus for Christians, which became the main centre of faith in Christian Jerusalem. Still today is held in the Christian Quarter. Now, what does taking care of the church mean? Right? It's a like, are we gardening or are we like guarding it? What's going on? It took a number of roles within the order. So there were clerics who were in charge of the canons and preaching within the church. And then there was the militis sanctis sepulchri,
12:37 Speaker 01 who were in charge of securing the defence and protection of the church as a physical site and its community.
12:45 Speaker 01 Now, the guy who did accept the position of the first king of Jerusalem was called Baldwin the First. And he took control of the order, developed the Militar Sancti side of things, which some people tend to really get confused with the Knights Templar, but they are a separate order founded by separate, separate guy. So his name was Jude Payne. But he was a member of the Militar Sancti, so there are some comparisons, but they are very different, the Militar Sancti. Under Baldwin the First was the custodian protectorate in Jerusalem, whereas the Templars really became like a private military monastic order who primarily guarded pilgrims on their travels to the Holy Land versus in Jerusalem themselves. So similar, but two different things.
13:29 Speaker 01 And our knights are from the former, this Militar Sancti branch of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. So there are so many crusades, like I said at the top, there's like eight or nine of them, because the Muslims and the Christians kept fighting for and then winning and losing Jerusalem. And as knights of this order began to return to their homelands, or like flee west between crusades being pushed back, priories began cropping up all over Europe, where members of the order in that region would gather, basically kind of, kind of like an alumni? Or like a high school reunion kind of thing?
14:12 Speaker 01 And after Saladin regained Jerusalem in 1182, the Second Crusade, the order's presence in the city failed. But there were still these priories keeping alive the ideals of this order, which were the propagation of faith, defence of the weak, charity towards others and the protection of the church. Now, these priories and their knights survived thanks to the protection of sovereigns, princes, bishops and the Holy See, the Pope, right? Who in 1847 renamed the order as we know it today and gave it this new, formal, modern role. To uphold the works of the Latin faith in Jerusalem,
14:57 Speaker 01 whilst preserving the spiritual duty of growing the faith across its various priories, Europe, the world at large. And this is where things go in a different direction for the Paris Priory, one of the biggest in Europe. Because in 1923, after World War I, they were entrusted with an even greater role of protection. That of the relics held in Notre Dame, including the Crown of Thorns. See, guys, we've just come full circle here. I promised you the crusade history wouldn't be too long. But that's the history behind this order.
15:38 Speaker 01 They ranged from Jerusalem to Paris and their role changed over time, right? But another thing that seems to have somehow went from Jerusalem to Paris is the crown itself. So it's time to talk about it, starting with what we know about this crown. And for that, we are consuming the original source material, the Bible. So the Crown of Thorns first comes up in the New Testament Gospels, which were written between 50 to 100 AD. The point in history when it first comes up is during the final few days of Jesus's life, which occurred roughly between 30 to 33 AD.
16:23 Speaker 01 So again, these Gospels are being written like between 20 to 80 years after this point. Now, the first mention is in Matthew 27:29, which is that passage we read at the top. Again, I'll read it for you. And when they had plaited a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head and a wreath in his right hand. And they bowed the knee before him and mocked him, saying, hail, king of the Jews. Next, we go to Mark 15:17, which says, "And they clothed him in purple and plaited a crown of thorns and put it about his head." Comes up again in John 19:5, which says, "Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, and Pilate saith unto him, behold, the man."
17:07 Speaker 01 There's been quite a bit of debate around the meaning of crown and how that presents throughout history and Christianity, with some translations saying it is a crown, others saying it is a wreath, and others describe it as a helmet. Now, the image that we all have in our heads of the Crown of Thorns is of this like headband halo shaped thorny thing that sits kind of on the brow. But the evidence actually suggests that it was most likely this helmet kind of design after all, right? Crowns aren't typically headbandy. Think about the British Crown, for example. And imagine that
17:50 Speaker 01 being made of big woven thorns and spikes. It it looks like a helmet in your mind, right? And the point of this crown was designed to humiliate this man. So for the Christians, the Crown of Thorn is essential in forming the image of Jesus as the rejected Messiah, which then makes his dying for their sins all the more powerful in his resurrection, proof of his divinity. So this is a super, super important physical object in Christianity. Probably second only to the cross itself as like this manmade object, right? And it's always tricky
18:34 Speaker 01 when you are dealing with any object relating to religious figures specifically. Because, yes, it is archaeology, but it's a very specific kind of archaeology, which which is referred to and called relics. And we'll get into that in a little bit when we talk about authentication, but relics are defined as a physical object such as bodily remains or personal items of a saint, prophet or holy figure that is kept and honoured for its sacred significance for the sole purpose of veneration. Veneration is this spiritual connection and experience and physical manifestation of faith through these objects. So they are treated very differently
19:19 Speaker 01 from normal religious iconography and art or secular kind of objects in art. I mean, this object literally has its own order to protect it. So you'd think, given its significance, we'd be able to trace its whole history, right? But.
19:37 Speaker 01 The Gospels don't say anything about what happened to the crown after Jesus's death. We do know that Jesus was buried in a new rock-cut tomb in a garden near the site of the crucifixion, which has been recognised as the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre since the fourth century, which we spoke about before. And there is some archaeology that supports that this is, this is the site throughout antiquity. But we will, we will get to the evidence shortly. It's, anyway, we'll get to it. No spoilers. Now, following Jewish customs, his body was wrapped in linen cloths and treated with about a hundred pounds of spices,
20:21 Speaker 01 after which the body was placed inside the tomb and a large stone was rolled in front of the entrance. Nowhere in the Gospels, or anywhere else, does it mention that the crown, nails or cross were buried in this tomb? Or that anyone present took them?
20:39 Speaker 01 So where on earth did they go?
20:42 Speaker 01 The answer is, we just don't know. Like so many of the objects mentioned in the Bible, Noah's ark, the Ten Commandments, the Ark of the Covenant, the Cup of Christ, like where are they? We just don't know. So when do we start to go, yep, this is the crown of thorns and this is where it's held? That comes in the fourth century, when Helen, mother of Roman emperor Constantine, claimed the crown. Now, quick tangent on Constantine here, because he is such a significant figure in Christianity, antiquity, and the general, like geopolitical makeup of what becomes the Holy Roman Empire.
21:24 Speaker 01 So Constantine was the Roman emperor and Rome was famously polytheistic and pagan, meaning they worshipped multiple gods and idols.
21:35 Speaker 01 But following a vision of a cross in the sky before a battle which he then won and credited to the Christian God watching over him, he adopted Christianity. Issuing the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D., legalising and promoting Christianity throughout the Roman Empire, which is like wild when we consider Rome and the Vatican and the Pope as the height of Christianity, but it was actually illegal there for 245 years after Jesus's death. So Constantine basically converts to Christianity, right? And with it comes a desire to expand Rome's empire eastward by establishing his new capital,
22:20 Speaker 01 Constantinople. This city connected Europe and Asia, establishing a centre for trade and Christian culture for over a thousand years. So like a pretty important guy, right? Who became obsessed with Christian iconography and the connection between himself, Rome, and the Holy Lands. And to legitimise his rule as the first Christian emperor, to consolidate and expand the Christian faith and ultimately to bless his, his new big city, he decides to go on a big old treasure hunt.
23:04 Speaker 01 And his targets are the relics of Christ. So he sends his version of Indiana Jones, his mother Helen, to Jerusalem on pilgrimage in 326 A.D. And her original target was the true cross. So she's in Jerusalem and Sozeman, Roman lawyer and historian of the Christian church, writes that she arrives and prays to find the site of Jesus's tomb. But it was difficult because the Greeks defiled any markings, what was actually the Romans, but the, the temples that were there were Greek design. He goes on to say, "The site of the sepulchre was made known by a Hebrew living in the east,
23:48 Speaker 01 paired with signs and dreams from God that this was the spot." He then says that "the cross was found near the same spot as they had been left by the soldiers, in confused order, and the inscription still remained on the tablet which was the nameplate, like put on the cross." And basically Helen just found them. Another source from this time, um, is Saint Gregory of Tours, and he adds to the discovery, saying that "it was made on May 3rd, 326 AD", so it gives the exact date, stating that "during a great storm which occurred soon after,
24:30 Speaker 01 Helen put one of the nails into the sea, which was at once calmed." He goes on that "the lance, crown of thorns and pillar of scorging were preserved and worked miracles." Key to note, both of these accounts were written nearly 70 years after this event, and are only recognised in the West, and this is the belief which the Parisian priory holds today, that, you know, this is the crown of thorns worn by Jesus, kept in Jerusalem for nearly 300 years after his death, found by Helen, mother of Constantine, taken to the city of Constantinople, where it is held for nearly a thousand years and venerated as the real deal.
25:14 Speaker 01 Alright, so that's Helen, she finds these things. We'll get to how and why, etcetera, when we do authentication. But right now, we're believing it's real, okay? Which brings us to the 13th century. Now guys, what the fuck is going on in the 13th century? It's like one of those centuries where you're just like, what? It's like a bit of a hole, but there's quite a lot happening. Genghis Khan united the Mongol tribes in twelve O six, creating the largest contingent man, landmass in history. The siege of Baghdad in twelve fifty eight ended the Islamic Golden Age. King John signed the Magnate Carter in twelve fifteen, establishing the rule of law,
25:56 Speaker 01 ensuring that everyone, including the King of England and his brother, is subject to this. And most importantly, the fourth crusade goes down in twelve O four, which sees the great city of Constantinople sacked, weakening the Byzantine Empire and leading its ruler, Baldwin the Second. Two desperate measures. Now here's the tea, guys. By twelve thirty nine, Baldwin is under constant threat from Bulgarian and Greek forces, and he needed an army. So he approaches bankers and merchants in Venice, seeking a loan.
26:40 Speaker 01 They agree, but they need collateral. So Baldwin the Second uses Jesus's crown of thorns as a pawn.
26:52 Speaker 01 Most people have like their parents go around tour or put their homes up or whatever, but Baldwin the Second puts up one of the most significant relics in Christendom. And one guy hears about this, and he is filled with equal parts disgust and blinding excitement. And that man is the French King Louis the Ninth. Known as a fair, judicious ruler, Louis wanted to earn his place amongst the Christian West and make Paris a city of pilgrimage and religious veneration. So he decides to approach these Venetian bankers and offer them the full sum they'd
27:36 Speaker 01 lent Baldwin the Second in exchange for the crown.
27:42 Speaker 01 This was nearly half of the entire yearly budget for all of France, totaling around a hundred thousand livres, which is like well, well over a billion dollars today.
27:57 Speaker 01 The bankers agree, but on one condition. They cut off seventy of the Crown's four-centimetre thorns before giving it to Louis, so they could be dispersed amongst various churches and monasteries around the world. Also, guys, to be clear, this exchange was not treated or reported as a sale, as this would have violated ecumenical rules when dealing with relics. Again, like I said, it's very different from like most objects and, and, and artefacts in antiquity. Religious relics, whole different world. So instead, the transfer of the Crown from Constantinople to Paris
28:38 Speaker 01 was framed as a diplomatic transaction and celebrated as a divine gift. By acquiring this Crown, Louis acquired a renewed status in the eyes of the Christian West. And as Christoph Grunenwald, a Knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre today, explained, it placed him in a tradition of Christian ancestry that gave him a privileged place within Christianity in Europe, making Paris a legitimate pilgrimage destination. Now, the arrival of the Crown in Paris was laden in ceremony. The king entered Paris, carrying the Crown himself.
29:21 Speaker 01 Forty kilometres he walked barefoot and dressed in a simple tunic, with the parade ending in a sermon inside Notre Dame before the relic was locked away in the royal palace.
29:34 Speaker 01 Louis was so serious about Paris forever being the home of the Crown, that he ordered the construction of a brand new chapel dedicated to it called Saint Chapelle. Some of you may have been there today. It's often called the Purple Church because of the huge red and blue stained glass windows which give this purple glow when the sun shines through. And those windows are very deliberate and you may not have realised that up close, they wrap around the whole Gothic structure and detail the Crown's journey from Christ's Head to Constantinople to Venice and here to Paris.
30:14 Speaker 01 Now, the chapel was built in nine years, being finished in 1248 to the cost of another forty thousand livres. This is crazy, right? Notre Dame burnt down in 2019, was opened back in like, I think the end of 2024. This is 1248 and they managed to create this amazing thing in nine years. Like, it's wild. Anyway, the Crown stayed here in a custom-built reliquary until the French Revolution, where it was moved to the Museum of Natural History and inconspicuously labelled as a curiosity object, so that it would go unnoticed and basically like not be stolen and sold off during the midst of the revolution.
30:56 Speaker 01 Then at the beginning of the 19th century, once civil and religious peace had been restored in France, Napoleon handed it over to the Bishop of Paris, um, who then had it placed in Notre Dame Cathedral. And since then, it's been part of its treasury, fit out with its new casey and reliquary, designed in 1896 to better protect and preserve the relic. Speaking of which, we better actually talk about what this thing looks like because we haven't even mentioned it. So, the Crown itself. Inside this reliquary is actually three fragments. And it looks just as you would expect, a circular braided band of these like thin twig
31:41 Speaker 01 kind of like material. But there are no visible thorns, as we said, the Venetians cut them off. So really, what you see is like a twigged wreath. Think about a Christmas wreath like before you put anything on it. That's really what it looks like. The casing that it is held on, that it's held in, is crystal on top. About a quarter of the crown itself is fully visible through this and the other three quarters of the casing is decorated with gold and enamel. And that casing is sealed shut to prevent any damage or degradation, as is practice with religious relics and the reliquaries that house them. So as we know, it was nineteen twenty-three after World War One that the Archbishop of
32:26 Speaker 01 Paris entrusted the crown to the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. And up until twenty nineteen, it was displayed on Fridays throughout the month and Fridays during Lent, including Good Friday, where the faithful from Paris and the world were able to come and venerate it. However, as fire ripped through Notre Dame on the fifteenth of April twenty nineteen, the crown of thorns was in danger of being lost forever. Because only the knights of the order knew where it was held when it wasn't on display, right? Which like, if it's not a Friday, it's on display. So as we said at the top, flames are ripping through the Gothic structure and the cathedral
33:08 Speaker 01 staff and firefighters are trying to get in contact with these knights to find the location of the crown and save it before being engulfed in flames, right? So one person called someone who called someone who called someone else, who eventually agreed to disclose the location over the phone, but only to a holy man. So the Paris Fire Department's chaplain, Father Jean-Marc Fournier, got on the phone, spoke to this knight who told him exactly where the crown was hidden. He dashes into the burning building and ordered the firefighters on site to form this human chain back through the burning structure.
33:53 Speaker 01 He did as instructed. He went to wherever it was. He opened it up. The crown came into view. And he handed it down the line. One by one by one. The supposed two thousand year old Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus was saved by members of the Paris Fire Department, passing it down this line before then being handed over to a group of mysterious knights who took it to the Louvre for safekeeping.
34:26 Speaker 01 It literally sounds like a scene from National Treasure. And thank goodness for Father John being on site or like who knows who the knights would have talked to, right? With the reopening of the cathedral, the Crown of Thorns was formally returned to Notre Dame in a procession on December thirteenth, twenty twenty four, hosted and attended by over four hundred knights and dames of the order. The new altar was decided. I've actually seen it. I didn't see the crown, but I did go on a Friday, obviously. But um I've seen the altar, the crown is placed behind it and it continues to be venerated on Fridays by members of the public. Okay, guys, so that's the story.
35:10 Speaker 01 From the origins of the order to the origins of the crown. There's a bit of Crusades history, a bit of Constantine, some origins of Christendom, and the modern fame through the fire.
35:22 Speaker 01 But still, the big question remains. Is this the actual Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus at the crucifixion? The answer. It depends what you believe, right? But I, as a historian, can say for certain that this is not the actual Crown of Thorns. And here's why. First, let's start with the materials.
35:56 Speaker 01 I do wanna say, it is literally impossible to historically know what this like crown mentioned in the Bible was made of, but Christian scholars and secular historians both largely agree that it comes down to two specific species of plant. The Zycophus spina christi, or Christ's Thorn Jujuba, or the Juncus balticus, aka Baltic Rush. The Jujuba has thorns that vary in size from two to 10 centimeters, these like big, hard, almost wooden nails is kind of what they look like, which Christian scholars say reflect the damage and wounds supposedly inflicted on Jesus's head.
36:40 Speaker 01 With the Catholic Encyclopedia stating, "With regard to the origin and character of the thorns, both tradition and existing remains suggest that they must have come from the Jujuba tree. This reaches the height of 15 or 20 feet and is found growing in abundance by the wayside around Jerusalem and like you can still see in parts of Palestine today." They continue saying, "The crooked branches of this shrub are armed with thorns growing in pairs and a straight spine which can be bent." I'll put a picture of this up on the Instagram for you guys, but like, this is not a plant that you wanna accidentally brush up against or run into.
37:23 Speaker 01 It is far more dramatic than any of the religious art and iconography of the crown suggests. But, the Notre Dame crown doesn't look anything like this. And the Catholic Church itself doesn't actually believe this is what it's made of, or at least that's the inference, right? They said, "The relic that the Church received was examined in the 19th century and it appeared to be a twisted circlet of Baltic Rush." You may be thinking, okay, well, like that must be it if the Church examined it. But Baltic Rush is a plant native to maritime areas of Northern Britain, the Baltics and Scandinavia, none of which reflect Jerusalem.
38:11 Speaker 01 They continue, saying the thorns preserved in various other reliquies, which the Venetians like cut off and, right, sent around the world, do appear to be jujube. I also don't know if I'm saying that right. I'm sorry, horticulturalists, if you've come for me, but it's spelt J U J U B E. So do with that what you will. The point here being, we have conflicted reports in the thorns from the Venetian merchants and the material of the crown itself held in Notre Dame. Other scholars have offered like varying substitutes, including the common bramble. And this has like deep ties with um the Old Testament, post the kind of fall of man.
38:55 Speaker 01 So there's a um verse here, Isaiah thirty two thirteen, which says, "Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briars." It's obvious a very neat connection between sin, fall of man and the savior. And yes, brambles do have thorns. They're easy to bend. They're even common to Jerusalem at the period. Um but this is largely seen as like a minor opinion. It is primarily the two, the Baltic rush and the jujube, however you say it. The reality is, we're never going to find out what the crown of thorns in Notre Dame is made of. And if it's the real one supposedly worn by Jesus, because there are no modern forensic tests ever been done and likely ever to be done.
39:40 Speaker 01 And why would they? Imagine, imagine if it comes back that the plant never grew in Jerusalem or is dated hundreds of years later. Not only would the King of France have paid near on a billion dollars for a fake, but the church loses this physical, tangible link and proof to Jesus. And there is zero chance they're gonna risk that.
40:11 Speaker 01 And it's the same for all religious relics, right? There are thousands of skulls and bones and fragments and cloths and spears and crowns linked to religious figures which are venerated around the world. Because it gives the faithful a tangible connection. And no one loved this more than the Middle Ages. I am so serious, guys. In the medieval mind, these weren't just mementos or objects. They were active sources of divine power. They healed and protected and led to miracles.
40:51 Speaker 01 And by the time of Charlemagne, it was mandatory that every altar contained a relic, leading to the seven eighty seven Council of Nicaea decreeing that all churches must have them.
41:06 Speaker 01 But there are only so many relics and even less legit ones. So this trade of relics, I'm doing like inverted commas with my fingers for those not watching the video. This trade of relics boomed. The perfect environment for con artists because the church gave some serious dosh in exchange for holy items. So a finger from a two-year-old corpse gets dolled up and presented to a church and put on display as a saint. When, you know, someone really just went and dug up a grave. Or they went on pilgrimage in search of these relics and, and was sold, you know, a, a, a knuckle,
41:47 Speaker 01 which was just passed on to them by another con artist and another con artist and on it goes and on it goes. And it turned out that's just someone's dead art, right? And it's really the perfect con because no one dared question the church at the time. And no church is going to let modern technology near these items today to prove them as legitimate or otherwise. Why would they? It reminds me actually of Salvator Mundi. I don't know if you guys have heard of this, but it is a painting that is largely being considered as the lost Da Vinci. So basically it's found in an auction. It's super dirty. This guy bought it for like a thousand dollars.
42:31 Speaker 01 He gets it, takes it to his friend who's an art restorer. She begins to restore it and realizes very quickly that this looked and presented like one of the lost artworks of Leonardo da Vinci, which he recorded in his own notebooks as Salvator Mundi, which translates to savior of the world. And it's this image of Jesus holding a glass orb, which was authenticated and authenticated and authenticated again as the work of Da Vinci. It was then sold at auction by Christie's for over 400 million US dollars to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, who supposedly keeps it on his yacht, but who knows?
43:16 Speaker 01 Anyway, there was an exhibition at the Louvre a few years after he purchased the painting, featuring the majority of Da Vinci's work around the world. They were all flown in to the Louvre to celebrate the great Italian masters' life. And it was rumored that Salvator Mundi would be on display. This was massive news, guys, groundbreaking, because it would be the first time anyone would see it in public. It was sold at Christie's, then vanished straight after, right? I went to Christie's, I spoke to the staff, I was like, guys, where's Salvator Mundi? And they said, Diva, we don't know. We sold it and it leaves in its special little box and off it goes.
44:00 Speaker 01 So there's so much excitement that Salvator Mundi is going to be on display in the Louvre. And for this to happen, the Louvre team had to receive the piece. I think it was like 48 hours before. So there are journalists camped out, waiting for word if this is going to be on display.
44:19 Speaker 01 The museum team are super tight lipped. I remember listening to this interview um from this one journalist who was there. And she said, the doors of the Louvre opened. Every single person there, packs of press people, right? Are running through the halls to get to the Italian gallery where this display was going to be. They come up the stairs, run past Wing Victory, don't even look at it. Go through all of like some of the oldest, you know, artworks throughout human history, don't even look at them. They get to the Italian gallery, they run past Madonna of the Rocks, replica of the Last Supper, the Mona Lisa. Like, bye Diva, see you later.
45:01 Speaker 01 All the way down to the very end where Salvatore Mondi was going to be.
45:09 Speaker 01 And all that was there was a nameplate. No portrait. And it later came out that supposedly it had arrived at the Louvre 48 hours before and the conservation team were going to run tests to determine once and for all if it wasn't Da Vinci, it was super contested when it went up for auction, if it was or wasn't.
45:31 Speaker 01 So they were going to do it against the Crown Prince's wishes. He said, no work, no study. I don't want it in the lab, I want it, you know, in in the facility, in the Louvre, on display, and then it's coming home. So he pulls the piece at the very last minute.
45:51 Speaker 01 And like, you can't really blame him, right? I mean, imagine if you've gone and spent 400 million US dollars on this lost Da Vinci and it turns out it's not real.
46:08 Speaker 01 You're gonna be pretty pissed. And it's the exact same with these religious relics.
46:16 Speaker 01 The alleged skull of Mary Magdalene is another super famous relic housed in this like golden angel statue reliquary thing with a crystal face. You can literally see the skull. At the Basilica of Saint Maximus le Sainte-bombe in southern France. Hitler was obsessed with getting his hands on the Holy Lance, the spear that passed Jesus aside. And you know, was discovered by first crusaders. Held in the treasury of the Habsburgs. And then, of course, guys. Is the Shroud of Turin, supposedly the cloth which was draped over Christ and holds his likeness. And the Crown of Thorns is in the same boat as all of these pieces.
46:59 Speaker 01 Physical objects linked to the time of Jesus. But entirely unproven and likely never to be properly authenticated. Actually, they never will be.
47:13 Speaker 01 Like, not just because we'll never be able to with modern tests, but like, we, we, we, we actually won't know even if we try to. How do we know that the skull of Mary Magdalene does belong to Mary Magdalene with our DNA of Mary Magdalene, which, who is that? Right. Next, let's look at Constantine's mother, Helen. The lady who found the crown, right? After nearly 300 years since Jesus' warrant. So the accounts we mainly had and the ones we covered earlier are from Saint Gregory of Tours, who simply said Helen discovered the relic, brought it to Constantinople. And as we noted, only the West recognized this as happening. And I recognize this as bullshit.
47:54 Speaker 01 There is no way, even if this crown was taken by Mary. Right? And hidden away, or by the rich guy whose tomb Jesus was buried in on the day, and put in some kind of facility or treasury, that it would have survived the 300 years between his death and her finding it. One, because of time, like in as good a condition as it is, 300 years, right? And two, because of Roman rule. As we said, it wasn't until Constantine that Christianity was legalized throughout the empire. And Jerusalem specifically experienced mass turbulence after the death of Jesus,
48:37 Speaker 01 culminating in the Great Jewish Revolt and Roman forces destroying the city and burning the temple in 70 AD. And it was at this time that early Christians, those who lived during the time of Jesus, and most likely like of anyone to be in possession of any of the relics, fled Jerusalem, with the majority of these early leaders relocating to Pella, which is central Macedonia in Greece. And if they had those relics, they were taking them with them. But let's say, we'll, you know, humour it, the crown does remain in Jerusalem.
49:20 Speaker 01 There is no way it was safe, because the city was further destroyed during the Barcockba revolt, after which the city's Jewish population were like essentially exiled in 135 AD. And Emperor Hadrian tore down large parts of the existing city, rebuilding it with Roman architecture and those Greek temples that we spoke about before, right? So if it was hidden somewhere, chances are during the revolt and rebuilding, it would have been found and then destroyed, because again, Christianity isn't legal at this point in time. The legends of Helen finding the relics are all linked to divine intervention.
50:07 Speaker 01 Noting how she destroyed the temples dedicated to Jupiter and Venus that Emperor Hadrian had built on the approximate site of Golgotha where the crucifixion took place, right? So she then conducted an excavation and found three crosses there. Again, like Romans crucified people all the time. This is highly likely that she she would find crosses if she did destroy these buildings and excavates. But she believes these other three crosses were, you know, belonging to Jesus and the and the two men. And in order to find out which was Jesus's, she bought a sick woman who touched them and was healed by one of the crosses, um, which, you know, was Jesus's, or she believed it was Jesus's.
50:49 Speaker 01 And when she dug around it, she found the crown and nails and, you know, signs, the sign that was found there. And she declared that this was Golgotha, this was the place, and that this would be where they built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Now, while many Christians praise Helen, she's literally a saint and often refer to her as the first archaeologist, historians don't agree, stating, "It seems probable that she had no part in the discovery, even if it took place, which itself seems exceedingly doubtful. The fact the site of the Holy Sepulchre was discovered, or supposed to be discovered in the reign of Constantine, with swiping religious fervour, it is reasonable to believe,
51:32 Speaker 01 and it is easy to understand, how marvels grew up around it, but there is zero evidence." And again, guys, that's the thing with religious relics, right? They don't need evidence because people have faith. But what likely happened is perhaps a con artist or a Christian or a Roman, you know, fastened this crown that Helen found and now lies in Notre Dame in order to win favour.
52:04 Speaker 01 That that like makes sense to me, rather than her like destroying these temples, finding three crosses, a woman touching it, being healed, digging around a bit more when finding this crown and going, yep, this is it.
52:16 Speaker 01 Which really leaves one final journey for us to chat about. The providence of the Notre Dame crown post Constantine and Helen. So, right, we can have as many suspicions as we want about Helen's discovery.
52:31 Speaker 01 Oh, cool. But yes, I think it's highly likely that it was someone else who fastened it to win favour, like I said. But what happened after she brought the crown back to Constantinople?
52:42 Speaker 01 Here, it sat for a thousand years in the Basalian Palace of the former Byzantine Empire. And there it was highly venerated as an incorruptible treasure by various peoples who visited the palace, including Nicholas Massarates, I think is how you say it, in the year 1200, who described the relic as still fresh green and undwarred despite its age. That's pure spirituality, like divinity. You want to believe that, that's fine. But we're here to simply track the providence of the crown Helen found to Notre Dame. So it's in the Basalian Palace, as we said, until Baldwin II pawned it in exchange for this loan from the Venetians in 1239,
53:23 Speaker 01 where it travelled to Venice and the various thorns removed before it was transported from Venice to France by two Dominican friars arriving in 1239 to the ceremony with King Louis we already mentioned. Now, I am inclined to say, from the time it arrived in Constantinople, we can like fairly certain say it's the same crown for all thousand years. And Baldwin handed the crown to the Venetians. The case, of course, could be made that he had a replica, which he gave. After all, it doesn't quite sit right with me that you're pawning something described as the incorruptible treasure. Like, it's pretty hectic.
54:08 Speaker 01 So maybe he did do some sleight of hand here? But the Venetians are like pretty damn smart. And I think that they would have had agents out there assessing well before and transporting this thing. So that's the first option. But where it all goes pear-shaped is in the materials we spoke about earlier. So in the 19th century, the church did evaluate the crown when they were building its new reliquary and said it was made out of Baltic brush. But the thorns supposedly removed from the crown from Constantinople are actually from that other tree. So is it possible, put on your tin foil hat divas, is it possible
54:51 Speaker 01 the crown was taken from Constantinople to Venice, purchased by Louis, the King of France, with, you know, the exception that these thorns are removed, and a replica then sold to him after all? He hadn't seen the crown himself, he just received it in Paris. And therefore, the crown in Notre Dame is in fact a replica of a replica. I don't know, perhaps. But our knight friend, Grin and Wald, who we quoted before, said, careful checks have been carried out each time it has changed owner and assignee.
55:30 Speaker 01 And we know, as it has been historically proven, that it is the same crown from the 4th century. No idea what checks and tests is involved, but I can see how from Constantine, right, someone like so important with a relic so well treasured, I think we can pretty safely say it was the same crown for the thousand years. But it's the Venetian French sail which just doesn't sit right. And the church tests in the 19th century don't make that any better.
56:04 Speaker 01 But the truth is, guys, we don't know either way. And we almost certainly never will. Especially with knights like those of the equestrian order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem now in charge.
56:21 Speaker 01 And that is quite literally the point of faith, right? You've got to believe. I'm just here to give you the facts, chat about this order and go on the journey together. Which brings us to the end of another episode of Hot History. Thank you so, so much for following along with me on this episode. It's a little different than usual, but I thought, you know, why not? Cover a little bit of a lot and the dealings with the relics versus artefacts, authentication, the role of faith. Um, you know, it's all like a really fascinating, fascinating thing to me. But I'm keen to come back next Friday and chat to you about a scandal and a fall that have gone down in history.
57:07 Speaker 01 And that is the diamond necklace affair which lost Mary Antoinette her head. It is fascinating, guys. It is a tale of blinding jewels, identity theft, sinful cardinals, black market dealers, and looking at how propaganda takes hold and alters history. So make sure you join in then. As always, guys, if you're looking for some more hot history, then you can follow us on Instagram at Hot History Club and on TikTok at Hot dot history. It has been a pleasure getting down and dirty in time with you and I will speak to you all next Friday. Thanks, guys. Love you. Bye.
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