The first episode of Mysteries of the Faith focuses on the mysteries associated with the miraculous Catholic relics. A special focus on the Crown of Thorns and the Holy Grail has been shown in the documentary series. This episode is a conglomeration of the testimonies of many experts as well as pilgrims who have closely looked at aspects associated with the religious relics. The relics are preserved, guarded, and kept under lock by the protectors of religion because of the volatile situation in Paris. The mysteries of how the crown of thorns, last seen in the private chapel of a Byzantine Emperor, ended up in Paris have been discussed in the series. The pain and suffering that Jesus Christ had to undergo to purge our sins has also been focused upon, enhancing the importance of the relics. What tragedy befalls the Notre Dame Cathedral is to be found out in this episode of the series.
Spoilers Ahead
What Are The Opinions Of The Experts On Religious Relics?
The Crown of Thorns is an absolutely precious treasure for Notre Dame, as it touched Christ about 2000 years ago. There is an immaculate belief that the Catholics place in mysterious objects that have come into close communion with Christ. Since the crown is a relic of Christ, it is believed to be one of the most precious objects preserved by the religious authorities. MSGR. Oliver Ribadeau Dumas, the Custodian of the Crown of Thorns in Notre Dame Cathedral, talks about the crown’s importance in preserving the history of the church and France. Hubert Borione, the knight and order of the holy sepulcher, says that the crown is considered to be an object of such high value that it is guarded by security agents and 12 knights when in public. Christ’s sufferings are all borne by the crown, as the Romans tortured him and made him wear the crown of thorns as a form of humiliation. Dr. Robert Cargill also said that the crown of thrones was created to humiliate Christ before his death. Dr. Anthea Butler, a professor of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania, is of the opinion that passion relics are objects that are associated with the crucifixion of Christ. Those objects hold importance as Jesus made a sacrifice for our sins, and people go to visit these relics because they think their lives will be changed after that. Dr. Guy Hayward said that the holy grail, shroud, or crown could be associated with the presence of Christ and is therefore highly revered by many. Dr. Nicola Denzey Lewis said that the objects associated with Jesus were so powerful that they were thought to have radioactive elements. Dr. Emily Davenport Guerry, who is a senior lecturer in medieval history, has stated that the crown dates back to 870 B.C. There were a lot of pilgrims who came from a lot of places to see the crown, and they had seen the crown come to life and resurrect just like Jesus.
One of the main pilgrimages is Huesca in Spain, which is also visited by a lot of pilgrims. Christina Monzon, a pilgrim, says that she visited the place to seek personal and spiritual growth. Jason Horowitz, a Roman correspondent for the New York Times, states that the holy grail is very important as it had the most direct contact with Jesus as it was used by him in the last supper. Castle of Loarre is also considered to be another important place of pilgrimage, as the warrior monks protected the grail for a very long time. Many people in medieval times considered it a source of youth, while others considered it a symbol of love. Another important place of pilgrimage that was close by was the Valencia Cathedral, which was around 250 miles away and considered to be the final resting place of the cup of Christ, as highlighted by the priest of the cathedral, Don Alvaro Almenar. Frederic Ferlicot, who is a tour guide at Notre Dame, says that the presence of the crown makes Notre Dame a significant site for Christians.
How Did The Crown Last Seen In The Private Chapel Of A Byzantine Emperor End Up In Paris?
The answer to the mystery of the crown currently present in Paris lies in the Royal Chapel of St. Chapelle. It is a grandiose architecture and is very beautiful, but due to the degeneration in Constantinople, many people found themselves to be broke and resorted to stripping bronze from the churches and selling it. The crown was initially under the supervision of emperor Baldin, who had found his barons to have pawned the priceless crown to a wealthy Venetian trader. In order to restore the crown, Baldwin had hatched a plan and visited his cousin, King Louis IX of France. He had requested that Louis pay the mortgages of the crown so that he could become its custodian. Louis IX agreed and paid 135,000 livres in exchange for the crown, which was a huge sum during that time. He sent two friars to take the crown from the Venetians. It was, however, too late, as they had left with the crown towards Italy. The friars somehow managed to travel to Venice, saving themselves and the king’s wealth from the bloodthirsty pirates. They came back to Paris safely with the crown and gave it back to the king. The royal crown had been the caretaker of the crown until the reign of King Louis XIV in 1789, as during that time revolution had broken loose. King Louis XIV had, however, managed to hide the crown from the revolutionists and put it in Notre Dame for the entire community living there.
What Befell The Cathedral Of Notre Dame?
An unbelievable event occurred in the Cathedral of Notre Dame in 2019. The cathedral caught fire, and there was a threat that the crown of thorns would go missing. The testimony of the firefighter Captain Franck proved how bad the fire was and how frantically they had to search for the crown inside the cathedral, as nobody had told them where it was kept. When they finally managed to find the crown and come out of the cathedral, they found out that it was not the real crown. Later, they had again gone into the cathedral to retrieve the real crown and had finally managed to save it. As per my speculations, there is a possibility that the cathedral didn’t catch fire by accident, and there are great chances that groups of non-believers were involved in arson. That is quite a big claim if there is no solid proof, but there are a lot of conspiracy theories that claim that it was not just a mere accident. There is also a possibility of a supernatural intervention in the arson. The fire could have been a sign of warning from the omnipotent against the increasing rates of crime and violence in the world. There are chances that God has tried to send us a message to stop the spread of hatred by setting his own place of worship on fire. The people of Paris were witnessing something that they had never experienced in their lifetime. A place of religious importance was up in flames, and as a result, there was a huge commotion among the people. The firefighters had to undertake a lot of risk to save the crown, as it is an object that was the closest to Christ’s presence many years ago.
Final Thoughts
Mysteries of the Faith focuses on the importance of the religious beliefs of people all across the world. Their ideals and opinions towards religious relics and their faith in them have been presented in the documentary series. The way the relics are revered by the people associated with religion and others who come to visit them has also been brought up. The documentary has been well-structured to send out a message of religious importance to the world. I am not a religious person myself, but the way the facts have been presented along with their impact on theology makes the documentary pleasurable to watch. The 45-minute episode has kept me glued throughout, as elements of grandiosity have been depicted, uplifting the importance of religious elements. The historical events along with the mysterious elements have been presented in a good balance within the documentary, making it a must-watch!
