Holy Crown of Thorns, sacred relics saved during Notre-Dame fire
Holy relics
The Holy Crown of Thorns and a sacred tunic worn by 13th-century French king Louis, two irreplaceable artefacts, were rescued from the fire, the cathedral rector Patrick Chauvet said.
The Holy Crown of Thorns
Its most precious item, the Holy Crown of Thorns, is about 21 centimetres (eight inches) in diameter and made up of rushes braided together and bound by gold wire.
Relics from the crucifixion
Notre-Dame also held two other relics said to be from the crucifixion of Jesus: a piece of the cross on which he was nailed and one of the nails.
Holy items collapsed
There were three holy items in the spire that collapsed in flames on Monday: a fragment of the Crown of Thorns and relics from Saint Denis and Saint Genevieve, two of the city's most cherished saints.
Other relics
A mid-14th-century statue of the Virgin with Child, placed in the sanctuary, is the most famous of the 37 images of the Virgin Mary contained in the cathedral.
'The Mays'
Between 1630 and 1707 the Paris goldsmith guild presented the cathedral with a painting on every May 1.
Of these 76 works called "The Mays", 13 were displayed in various chapels in the cathedral.
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