Tradition has it that, on his return from the First Crusade, a certain Raoul (or Rodolphe), of the family of the Lords of Sablé, donated to our monastery—founded by his ancestor Geoffroy—a thorn from the crown placed upon Christ’s head at the time of his Passion. This relic, the Holy Thorn, was carefully preserved by the monks over the centuries, and the custom arose of venerating it on Easter Monday.
In 1496, the monks decided to erect a monumental ensemble in the south transept of their church depicting the Entombment of Christ, in order to showcase the relic on the day of its solemn display. In modern times, popular devotion to the Holy Thorn has not waned, and people have continued to attribute graces and miracles to it. Thus, when the French Revolution drove out the monks, three faithful parishioners from Solesmes stepped forward to preserve the relic, hide it and entrust it to a clandestine priest.
