French reliquary frame with facsimile relic of the Holy Nail of Jesus Christ
This beautiful 19th-century devotional object is a framed relic of the Crown of Thorns (Couronne d'Épines), venerated as a third-class touch relic connected to the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The woven crown of sharp thorns rests on deep red velvet beneath the concave glass, a facsimile touch relic of the Holy Nail of Jesus Christ is tied with a silk ribbon, and is enclosed in an elegant oval black-licquered frame. The relic is certified by a paper tag with a blind imprint of the Monastery of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem in Rome.
The original paper label on the back identifies the maker as Lebrun-Mathon, a workshop in Tourcoing (Northern France) that was specializing in religious articles, statuettes, and devotional objects. In the late 19th/early 20th century, it produced and framed certified replicas and contact relics (including facsimiles of the Holy Nail and thorns) for distribution to pious Catholics. This relic invites us to contemplate the suffering Our Savior endured for our redemption. May it deepen our love for His Holy Passion.
This precious Christian touch relic is an exact copy of the Holy Nail venerated in the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome that, according to sacred tradition, pierced the hands and feet of Jesus Christ during His saving Passion on the Cross. Discovered in the fourth century by Saint Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, together with the True Cross, the nails are venerated as powerful witnesses to Christ’s infinite love and redemptive suffering. — and continue to inspire deep devotion among the faithful. In the 19th century, the basilica’s Cistercian monks frequently created certified facsimiles of the Holy Nail. These third-class “touch relics” were iron nails carefully crafted to resemble the original and then placed in contact with it. Enclosed in elegant reliquaries with official seals, they were distributed to the faithful worldwide, allowing many to venerate a tangible connection to Christ’s Passion.
