Exceptional Easter celebrations in Argenteuil... From April 18 to May 11, 2025, the Basilique Saint-Denys will host the ostension of the Holy Tunic, a relic attributed to Jesus of Nazareth. Preserved since the 9th century in this Val-d'Oise church, this piece of cloth is exceptionally presented to the faithful for the first time since 2016. A rare event, accompanied by extensive security.
According to Christian tradition, this tunic was worn by Jesus on his way to the cross, before his crucifixion. In 800 AD, it was given as a gift byEmperor Charlemagne to his daughter Theodrade, then a nun in Argenteuil. Carbon-14 analyses, however, place the garment's manufacture in the 6th or 7th centuries. These are original fragments sewn onto a woolen cheesecloth tunic, displayed on a mannequin in a glass reliquary. " It's a simple, poor man's garment. It has no market value [...] ", said Father Guy-Emmanuel Cariot, rector of the basilica, underlining the contrast between this simplicity and the exhibition space.
As in 2016, some 400,000 people are expected to attend, including Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State. Twenty-one bishops and five cardinals will celebrate the various Masses scheduled over the period. In view of the crowds, some 200 police officers will be mobilized daily around the basilica, and a security perimeter will be set up for three weeks.
This Easter ostension is part of a renewed interest in devotional objects. " More in 2025 than in 2016, and much more in 2016 than before, there is a renewed interest in this piety, which would have passed for something very bizarre twenty years ago," observed Father Cariot at a press briefing. Note that the previous ostension in 1934 had already attracted a million devotees.
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Dates and Opening Time
From April 18, 2025 to May 11, 2025
Location
Saint-Denys d'Argenteuil Basilica
place jean eurieult argenteuil
95100 Argenteuil
