St. Louis IX (Detail; ‘Medallion’ Only; BK 065) Ceramic Tree Decoration

Through the efforts of St. Louis IX, King of France, the Crown of Thorns believed to have been worn by Christ during His Passion came to Paris from Constantinople via the Venetians. Arriving at the coastal town of Sens, the Crown was received by the awestruck French monarch with great reverence and was later installed with solemn ceremonies in Notre Dame in a chapel St. Louis built especially to house it. + In this depiction, a haloed St. Louis wears his own golden crown and an ermine-lined mantle in dark aqua that is decorated with gold fleur de lis. Head bowed, he reverently carries the Crown of Thorns on a plump red cushion. The Crown itself emits spiked rays of light. The scene, confined in a ‘medallion’ or circular decorative device, takes place against a generic background of entwined swirls. + Epilog: Miraculously some would say, the Crown of Thorns survived both the French Revolution and the recent fire at Notre Dame on Monday, 15 April 2019. + Feast of St. Louis the King: August 25 + Image Credit (BK 065): Detail from an antique devotional print of St. Louis IX the King originally published by B. Kühlen, Mönchengladbach, Germany, late 19th century, from the designer’s private collection of religious ephemera.