Notre Dame Treasury

Darby,
I haven't been to the Treasury since well before the fire, but I believe, based on the current website info, that it still mainly contains vestments and religious vessels, etc. used in the liturgy. At only 12 euro entrance fee, I would personally go as long as I was at Notre Dame, to complete my visit there. Of course, being Catholic and a history major, it may be more interesting to me than to a non-Catholic. Have a wonderful visit to the cathedral! I can't wait to go back and see the restored church.

Hi, I'm not 100% sure but I believe some relics of Christ's crucifixion may be in the Notre Dame Treasury. Although they're not specifically mentioned on the Notre Dame website (I didn't see it), I googled "Christ's Crown of Thorns" separately and the article mentions it being in the Treasury, as is part of the Cross. Awhile back, I read that it the Crown of Thorns was saved during the fire and moved. Then I read it's back in Notre Dame.

Apparently, the Louvre had a special exhibition in 2024 with the items from the Treasury. Here is the website about it.

https://www.louvre.fr/en/exhibitions-and-events/exhibitions/the-treasury-of-notre-dame-cathedral

If you want to see the Crown of Thorns up close.

The Veneration of the Crown of Thorns.

I attended a service in April. It lasted approximately 2 hours.

Hi! Yes, The Treasury holds liturgical objects and relics, such as: books, vestments, croziers, sacred vessels, processional crosses, crucifixes, etc.

The Treasury is located inside the Sacristy, which adjoins Notre Dame on the south side. The entrance to the Treasury is inside the cathedral. To visit the Treasury, you'll need a reservation to visit the main floor of the cathedral, or you'll need to wait in the "Access without reservations" queue. There is an entrance fee of €12 per person, since the Treasury is considered a museum. Tickets are available on-site at the Treasury, there are no online reservations.

The Treasury is open to visitors Monday to Saturday from 9:30am until 6:00pm (until 9:00pm on Thursdays) and on Sunday from 1:00pm until 5:30pm. I recommend entering at least 1 hour before closing time so that your visit isn't rushed. Everyone has be out before closing time, we start clearing people out approximately 30 minutes before closing time.

The Crown of Thorns is not kept in The Treasury. It's kept in the reliquary in the back chapel in the apse. It's not visible, except on Veneration days, which takes places every 1st Friday of each month from 3:00pm until 5:00pm. The ceremony starts at 3:00pm with a processional of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem bringing the Crown to the altar and initial prayers/hymns/readings, which lasts approximately 20 minutes. Afterwards, by sections/rows, they facilitate the queue to walk up to the crown and you can touch, kiss it, etc (yes, it's cleaned between each person), which is open until 5:00pm. During this time, there's additional prayers/hymns/readings happening at the same time. You can stay for this if you'd like, but it's not mandatory. At 5:00pm, the Crown is taken to the reliquary, where it's on display until about 6:00pm.

I paid the 12 euro and went. I have been to Notre Dame 2x -pre fire- and never saw it. I got there right when it opened-- at 9 am. The light coming through the stain glass is glorious and illuminates the treasures quite nicely.

You are there, why not visit it?