What is the fate of Notre Dame’s treasures?

Crown of Thorns

The cathedral’s most sacred relic, the Crown of Thorns, was saved. It is purported to be a relic of the crown placed on the head of Jesus

Christ at his crucifixion, brought to Paris by King Louis IX in the 13th century. It is made of rushes wrapped into a wreath and tied with gold filament. Since 1896 it has been kept under glass and only occasionally displayed. Paris Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said it was among pieces quickly transported to a ‘‘secret location’’ by officials after the fire.

Fragment of the holy cross and nail

The 24cm piece of wood and 9cmlong nail are purported to be from the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. The wood fragment is kept in a glass case. The fate of the two relics is not known.

The organ

The impressive organ, dating to the 1730s and boasting an estimated 8000 pipes, did not burn and is intact but nobody knows yet whether it was damaged by the heat or water.

The roof

The cathedral’s roof was built using a lattice of giant beams cut from trees in primeval forests in the 12th and 13th centuries. Bertrand de Feydeau, vicepresident of the Fondation du Patrimoine, which protects France’s cultural heritage, said the cathedral’s roof cannot be rebuilt exactly as it was before the fire because ‘‘we don’t, at the moment, have trees on our territory of the size that were cut in the 13th century’’. He said the restoration work would have to use new technology to rebuild the roof.

The bells

The extent of any damage to the bells and their support structure is unclear.

Paintings

About a dozen large paintings of religious scenes, called ‘‘Mays’’ and dating from between 1630 and 1708, hung in Notre Dame. French Culture Minister Franck Riester said the cathedral’s greatest paintings would be removed, starting on Saturday. ‘‘We assume they have not been damaged by the fire but there may be damage from the smoke,’’ he said.

Statues

Last week, 16 religious statues were removed from the top of Notre Dame for the first time in over a century to be taken for cleaning. The removal was part of a restoration of the cathedral’s towering spire, now gone. The 3mtall copper statues represent the 12 apostles and four evangelists.

Stained glass windows

The cathedral’s three famed rose windows date to the 13th century. The director of Unesco said it was too early to tell whether they were unscathed. — AP