The catastrophic fire which engulfed Paris' cherished Notre Dame Cathedral on Monday put in jeopardy the future of Catholic relics preserved there — but authorities confirm they are being held in a safe place.
The Notre Dame housed artefacts believed to be the relics of the Passion, including the Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the cross which he is said to have been nailed on, and one of the nails of the crucifixion.
Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris, said that officials had relocated the relics from the burning church.
"Thanks to the @PompiersParis (the Paris fire brigade), the police and the municipal agents who tonight made a tremendous human chain to save the works of Notre Dame," she tweeted on Monday.
"The Crown of Thorns, the Tunic of Saint Louis and several other major works are now in a safe place."
The Crown of Thorns is perhaps Notre Dame's most precious artefact. It is a woven wreath of thorns which Roman soldiers purportedly put on the head of Jesus Christ before his crucifixion.
The relic was brought to Paris by King Louis IX in the 13th century; it is preserved inside a crystal and gold tube and is presented to believers on the first Friday of each month.