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Pope Leo XIV to Venerate Holy Tunic of Argenteuil
Confirmed
In Short: Pope Leo XIV will be the first pope to venerate the Holy Tunic of Argenteuil, a relic believed to be Christ's seamless robe from his Passion.
Pope Leo XIV will make history during his Sept. 25-28 visit to France by venerating the Holy Tunic of Argenteuil, a relic long believed to be the seamless robe worn by Christ during his Passion.
The tunic, originally seamless, is often presented as an opportunity to pray for Christian unity, in remembrance of the moment when Christ’s clothes were divided at the time of his crucifixion.
Bishop Benoît Bertrand of Pontoise, who is officially the ‘Guardian of the Holy Tunic,’ emphasized the importance of the tunic in fostering Christian unity.
The tunic will travel almost four miles from Argenteuil to the Stade de France under extremely tight security measures, made even stricter by memories of the theft of the tunic in 1983.
The route the tunic will take is being kept confidential to ensure its safe transport.
The tunic has been venerated as Christ’s tunic in France for over 1,200 years, and it has been put on display during regular expositions every 50 years, as well as on extraordinary occasions.
The most recent exposition was in 2023, and this will be the first time a pope has witnessed an exposition of the Holy Tunic.
More than 80,000 French young people have registered for the prayer vigil at the Stade de France, where the tunic will be displayed.
The tunic will be brought to the stadium immediately after Pope Leo XIV visits Notre Dame Cathedral, where he is scheduled to pray before the crown of thorns.
What this adds
The disappointment over the lack of celebrating the display of the tunic in the presence of the world’s top cardinals turned into intense prayer for the Church and for the future pope, according to Bishop Benoît Bertrand of Pontoise.
Background
More than 80,000 French young people have registered for the prayer vigil at the Stade de France, where Pope Leo will see the Holy Tunic, a relic believed to be worn by Christ during his passion.
Pope Leo XIV met with Italian Special Olympics athletes, praising the values of sports and encouraging them to lead holy lives.
What's confirmed
- More than 80,000 French young people have registered for the prayer vigil at the Stade de France, and according to Father Guy-Emmanuel Cariot, former rector of the basilica of Argenteuil, Leo is the first pope to see the tunic since the time of St. Peter.
- One example is the so-called “Tunic of Trier” in Germany, which has appeared in historical records since 1072 and is believed to be one of the relics brought back from the Holy Land by St. Helena.
- The Holy Tunic will travel almost four miles from Argenteuil, France, to the pope’s youth vigil at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
- For the first time, a pope will witness an exposition of the Holy Tunic, the garment worn by Christ during his passion, which is preserved in the Basilica of Saint-Denis in Argenteuil, France.
- The special relic is put on display during regular expositions every 50 years, as well as on extraordinary occasions — the most recent being in 2023 — but it has never before been brought before a pope.
- That will happen during this trip, in part because only 3.7 miles separate the basilica of Argenteuil from the Stade de France.
- The tunic will travel those nearly four miles under extremely tight security measures, made even stricter by memories of the theft of the tunic in 1983, when the relic disappeared for a couple of months.
- For that reason, the route the tunic will take is being kept confidential.
- The tunic has been kept in Argenteuil for more than 1,200 years and is one of several relics of Christ’s passion preserved in France.
- The Crown of Thorns is kept at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, while the Holy Headcloth of Jesus is preserved in Cahors.
What's still developing
- In fact, as the last public display of the tunic was taking place, many of the cardinals planned to attend could not join as they were called to Rome for the conclave.
- The disappointment over the lack of celebrating the display of the tunic in the presence of world’s top cardinals turned “into intense prayer for the Church, and for the future pope,” the bishop of Pontoise told OSV News at the time.
- The tunic will be brought to the stadium from the basilica in Argenteuil especially for the event, a move local authorities have called “exceptional,” “unprecedented” and “historic.” “In modern times, the tunic has never been officially taken out of the basilica,” Argenteuil’s official website stated.
- He entrusted it to his daughter Theodrada, who was abbess of the Abbey of Argenteuil.
- Over the following centuries, the village of Argenteuil became an important pilgrimage site in France, attracting kings and queens eager to venerate the tunic, including St.
- During the French Revolution, the parish priest of Argenteuil cut the tunic into pieces to better hide them and thus protect them from looting by the revolutionaries.