Christiansanctuaries of France
The Crown of Thorns, the Veil of the Virgin Mary in Chartres, a relic of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker — journeys with a guide.
Visits to the most significant sites of the Christian world in France. You can see the Crown of Thorns, the Veil of the Virgin Mary (Sancta Camisa), a vessel containing a few drops of the Blood of Christ, the relics of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker and other holy relics.
Pilgrimage to a relic of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker
O our good shepherd and God-wise instructor, holy hierarch of Christ Nicholas! Hear us sinners, who pray to thee and call upon thy speedy intercession for help…
Prayer to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker
We organise pilgrimages to a relic of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker in France (in Nancy) with a personal guide.
Pilgrimage to a relic of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker in Nancy
The city of Nancy lies 350 km from Paris, and near it stands the Basilica of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port. It houses a relic of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, venerated by Catholics for a thousand years.
Remarkably, since 2002 Orthodox services have also been held regularly in the basilica.
As early as the 11th century, Saint Nicholas came to be venerated in Nancy as a special patron of children, thanks to the many miraculous blessings granted through prayers to this great saint of God. In imitation of Saint Nicholas's charity, the touching custom arose of giving children presents on his feast day, 6 December (in the Catholic calendar) and 19 December (in the Orthodox calendar).
If you decide to visit this remarkable place, contact us and we will help you organise a pilgrimage, which could, for example, take place on the Orthodox feast day of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, 19 December.
Pilgrimage to the Veil of the Virgin Mary in France
Not for my own desolate soul do I pray, For the soul of a wanderer, kinless in the world, — But I wish to entrust an innocent maiden To the warm intercessor of this cold world.
Mikhail Lermontov
The Veil of the Virgin Mary
The ancient French city of Chartres lies 90 kilometres south-west of Paris. Its history dates back to the middle of the first millennium, and the first Christian church in Chartres was built at roughly the same time. Some time later, a precious relic came to Chartres: the Veil (tunic, mantle) of the Most Holy Mother of God. Tradition holds that this is the very Veil the Most Pure Virgin was wearing when she gave birth to the Christ Child.
The Mother of God held in reverence even the things connected with His Nativity – in particular, the veil that covered her head on the night of the Nativity. Tradition says that she kept it with great care and, before her Dormition, gave it to a pious maiden, whom she also charged with preserving this relic. According to tradition, that maiden devoted her whole life to guarding the veil and, before her death, passed the relic on to a young woman of her family, who likewise devoted her life to serving the Mother of God and her veil. A tradition took root in the family: one of its maidens would take on this important mission.
Many stories are linked to the Veil of the Virgin Mary. In 911, for example, the Normans appeared beneath the walls of Chartres. It was then that the first miracle associated with the relic occurred. Bishop Gantelme of Chartres, trusting in the intercession of the Virgin Mary, hung the Veil from the city wall, and the Normans, as an old chronicle testifies, took flight.
The second miracle in Chartres occurred in 1194, when the cathedral where the Veil was kept was almost entirely destroyed by fire. Yet the reliquary that held the relic survived!
Today the Veil of the Most Holy Mother of God is kept in a special chapel in Chartres Cathedral. Pilgrims from all over the world come to venerate it.
We organise trips to Chartres Cathedral with a personal guide to venerate the Veil of the Virgin Mary.
The Crown of Thorns
“...And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!”
(Matthew 27:29)
The Crown of Thorns – the most sacred Christian relic in Paris
Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris houses one of the greatest relics of the Christian world: the Crown of Thorns – the very crown the soldiers placed on the head of Jesus Christ, adding to His suffering.
On the first of January a long queue forms outside Notre-Dame Cathedral.
On the first Friday of every month at 15:00, and on Good Friday at the end of the Catholic Lent, the Crown of Thorns, together with a fragment of the True Cross and one of its Holy Nails, is brought out for the faithful to venerate.
On other days of the year these relics are not accessible. Note that the dates of Lent for Catholics and for Orthodox Christians very often do not coincide. So, to come and venerate the relics, you should first consult the Catholic Easter calendar. Incidentally, the thorns of the crown, of which there were around 70, were sent as gifts to cathedrals and churches in various Christian countries.
The Crown of Thorns has been kept in France since the thirteenth century, yet how many tourists know of this greatest of relics?
We organise trips to Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris with a personal guide, so that you can venerate the Crown of Thorns of Christ on the days when it is presented to the faithful.
Other services
TransfertsTransport Services
Meet-and-greet at Charles de Gaulle, Orly, Le Bourget and Beauvais, rides around Paris and across France, and hourly hire with a driver-guide who speaks English, French and Russian.
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ExcursionsExcursions
Paris with a private guide, Versailles, Fontainebleau and Chartres, Champagne, Normandy and the Loire châteaux — by car with a driver-guide, at your own pace.
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DégustationsTastings in France
Wine houses and estates, cider and calvados, cognac and liqueurs, cheese dairies and seafood farms — buying straight from the producer.
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Private estates for seasoned hunters and beginners: wild boar, red and fallow deer, duck, pheasant and partridge. Fishing on the Rhine, in lakes and at sea.
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