On Friday, October 9, 2026, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew visited the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady in Amiens, France, where he was warmly received by the Bishop of Amiens, Gérard Le Stang. Accompanied by Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, Metropolitan Dimitrios of France, Bishop Ambrosios of Sinope, and the Grand Ecclesiarch Aetios, Director of the Patriarchal Private Office, the Ecumenical Patriarch venerated the sacred relic of the head of Saint John the Forerunner, which has been preserved in a special chapel within the cathedral.
During the visit, Bishop Gérard Le Stang presented Patriarch Bartholomew with a fragment of the sacred relic. According to the announcement of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the fragment will be placed for veneration by the faithful at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in Constantinople, in the Phanar. Thus, a portion of a relic that had been preserved in France since the early thirteenth century is returning to the city from which it was taken during one of the most tragic episodes in its history.
The event is particularly moving because of the identity of the Saint whose relic has been involved in this historic exchange. Saint John the Forerunner, the Prophet and Baptist of Christ, occupies a unique place in the life of the Orthodox Church. He prepared the way for the Lord, proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom of God, baptized Christ in the Jordan, and bore witness to the truth even unto martyrdom. His sacred relics have been venerated by Christians throughout the centuries, and the history of the Honorable Head is closely connected with the piety of Constantinople.
During the visit, Bishop Gérard Le Stang presented Patriarch Bartholomew with a fragment of the sacred relic. According to the announcement of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the fragment will be placed for veneration by the faithful at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in Constantinople, in the Phanar. Thus, a portion of a relic that had been preserved in France since the early thirteenth century is returning to the city from which it was taken during one of the most tragic episodes in its history.
The event is particularly moving because of the identity of the Saint whose relic has been involved in this historic exchange. Saint John the Forerunner, the Prophet and Baptist of Christ, occupies a unique place in the life of the Orthodox Church. He prepared the way for the Lord, proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom of God, baptized Christ in the Jordan, and bore witness to the truth even unto martyrdom. His sacred relics have been venerated by Christians throughout the centuries, and the history of the Honorable Head is closely connected with the piety of Constantinople.
The Relic’s Journey from Constantinople to Amiens
According to the historical account preserved by Amiens Cathedral, the relic of the head of Saint John the Baptist was brought to France by Walon de Sarton, a canon associated with Picquigny in the region of Picardy. Walon had participated in the Fourth Crusade, during which Constantinople was captured by the Latin crusaders in April 1204.
The conquest of Constantinople was a catastrophe for the Byzantine Empire and its capital’s churches and monasteries. Sacred objects, relics, and other ecclesiastical treasures were removed from the city and carried to the West. Among the relics that subsequently arrived in Western Europe was the head of Saint John the Baptist preserved at Amiens.
The cathedral’s historical documentation relates that Walon de Sarton discovered the relic in the Church of Saint George of the Mangana district of Constantinople. He brought it to France, where it was presented to Richard de Gerberoy, Bishop of Amiens, on December 17, 1206. The relic became one of the cathedral’s most treasured possessions and attracted the veneration of generations of pilgrims.
The relic’s arrival was of such importance to Amiens that the cathedral developed a special place for its preservation and veneration. Its fame became inseparable from the history of the cathedral and the religious life of the city.
According to the historical account preserved by Amiens Cathedral, the relic of the head of Saint John the Baptist was brought to France by Walon de Sarton, a canon associated with Picquigny in the region of Picardy. Walon had participated in the Fourth Crusade, during which Constantinople was captured by the Latin crusaders in April 1204.
The conquest of Constantinople was a catastrophe for the Byzantine Empire and its capital’s churches and monasteries. Sacred objects, relics, and other ecclesiastical treasures were removed from the city and carried to the West. Among the relics that subsequently arrived in Western Europe was the head of Saint John the Baptist preserved at Amiens.
The cathedral’s historical documentation relates that Walon de Sarton discovered the relic in the Church of Saint George of the Mangana district of Constantinople. He brought it to France, where it was presented to Richard de Gerberoy, Bishop of Amiens, on December 17, 1206. The relic became one of the cathedral’s most treasured possessions and attracted the veneration of generations of pilgrims.
The relic’s arrival was of such importance to Amiens that the cathedral developed a special place for its preservation and veneration. Its fame became inseparable from the history of the cathedral and the religious life of the city.
The Honorable Head of the Forerunner
The head of Saint John the Forerunner has a long and complex history in Christian tradition. The Gospel accounts relate that Saint John was imprisoned by Herod Antipas and beheaded at the request of Herodias and her daughter. His disciples took his body and buried it, while the subsequent history of his head became the subject of ancient ecclesiastical traditions concerning its concealment, discovery, and transfer.
Orthodox tradition commemorates the First and Second Findings of the Honorable Head on February 24 and the Third Finding on May 25. The latter is associated with the discovery of the relic at Comana and its transfer to Constantinople during the reign of Emperor Michael III, following a revelation to Patriarch Ignatios. These commemorations testify to the enduring importance of the Forerunner’s relics in the liturgical life of the Church.
The history of the relic at Amiens belongs to a later chapter: the dispersal of sacred treasures from Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. The relic preserved there is identified by the cathedral as the head or face of Saint John the Baptist. The cathedral’s heritage documentation describes its long history of veneration, the successive reliquaries that housed it, and the survival of the relic through the upheavals of the French Revolution.
The relic is currently preserved in a crystal reliquary beneath a protective covering, within the cathedral’s treasury. Its presence in Amiens has made the cathedral an important destination for those seeking to venerate a relic traditionally associated with the Forerunner.
The head of Saint John the Forerunner has a long and complex history in Christian tradition. The Gospel accounts relate that Saint John was imprisoned by Herod Antipas and beheaded at the request of Herodias and her daughter. His disciples took his body and buried it, while the subsequent history of his head became the subject of ancient ecclesiastical traditions concerning its concealment, discovery, and transfer.
Orthodox tradition commemorates the First and Second Findings of the Honorable Head on February 24 and the Third Finding on May 25. The latter is associated with the discovery of the relic at Comana and its transfer to Constantinople during the reign of Emperor Michael III, following a revelation to Patriarch Ignatios. These commemorations testify to the enduring importance of the Forerunner’s relics in the liturgical life of the Church.
The history of the relic at Amiens belongs to a later chapter: the dispersal of sacred treasures from Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. The relic preserved there is identified by the cathedral as the head or face of Saint John the Baptist. The cathedral’s heritage documentation describes its long history of veneration, the successive reliquaries that housed it, and the survival of the relic through the upheavals of the French Revolution.
The relic is currently preserved in a crystal reliquary beneath a protective covering, within the cathedral’s treasury. Its presence in Amiens has made the cathedral an important destination for those seeking to venerate a relic traditionally associated with the Forerunner.
A Fragment Returns to the Phanar
The presentation of a fragment to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew marks a new chapter in the history of this sacred relic. The fragment is to be placed for veneration at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in the Phanar, the historic seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The significance of the event extends beyond the physical return of a relic. It recalls the profound historical and spiritual connections between Constantinople and the Christian communities of the West, while also bringing to mind the painful circumstances under which many sacred objects left the Byzantine capital during the Fourth Crusade.
The year 1204 remains a watershed in the history of Constantinople. The conquest and sack of the city caused extensive destruction and the removal of countless ecclesiastical treasures. The arrival of the relic at Amiens in 1206 belongs to this wider history of the transfer of sacred objects from the East to the West. More than eight centuries later, the presentation of a fragment to the Ecumenical Patriarch provides a tangible reminder of that history and establishes a new connection between the two Churches.
The return should be understood precisely: the entire relic preserved at Amiens has not been transferred to Constantinople. Rather, a fragment has been presented to Patriarch Bartholomew for veneration at the Patriarchal Church. The principal relic remains associated with Amiens Cathedral, where it has been preserved for more than eight centuries.
A Witness to the Enduring Veneration of Saint John
For Orthodox Christians, the event is an occasion to remember the Honorable Forerunner and the place his witness occupies in the life of the Church. Saint John’s call to repentance, his fearless proclamation of the truth, and his preparation of the way for Christ remain central to the Church’s spiritual life. His relics, wherever they are preserved, recall the continuity of Christian veneration across generations and geographical boundaries.
The fragment’s return to Constantinople also evokes the historical memory of the city itself: a center of Orthodox Christianity whose churches and monasteries once safeguarded an immense treasury of sacred relics. The presentation of this fragment does not undo the events of 1204, but it offers a meaningful link between the city’s past and present.
The presentation of a fragment to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew marks a new chapter in the history of this sacred relic. The fragment is to be placed for veneration at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in the Phanar, the historic seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The significance of the event extends beyond the physical return of a relic. It recalls the profound historical and spiritual connections between Constantinople and the Christian communities of the West, while also bringing to mind the painful circumstances under which many sacred objects left the Byzantine capital during the Fourth Crusade.
The year 1204 remains a watershed in the history of Constantinople. The conquest and sack of the city caused extensive destruction and the removal of countless ecclesiastical treasures. The arrival of the relic at Amiens in 1206 belongs to this wider history of the transfer of sacred objects from the East to the West. More than eight centuries later, the presentation of a fragment to the Ecumenical Patriarch provides a tangible reminder of that history and establishes a new connection between the two Churches.
The return should be understood precisely: the entire relic preserved at Amiens has not been transferred to Constantinople. Rather, a fragment has been presented to Patriarch Bartholomew for veneration at the Patriarchal Church. The principal relic remains associated with Amiens Cathedral, where it has been preserved for more than eight centuries.
A Witness to the Enduring Veneration of Saint John
For Orthodox Christians, the event is an occasion to remember the Honorable Forerunner and the place his witness occupies in the life of the Church. Saint John’s call to repentance, his fearless proclamation of the truth, and his preparation of the way for Christ remain central to the Church’s spiritual life. His relics, wherever they are preserved, recall the continuity of Christian veneration across generations and geographical boundaries.
The fragment’s return to Constantinople also evokes the historical memory of the city itself: a center of Orthodox Christianity whose churches and monasteries once safeguarded an immense treasury of sacred relics. The presentation of this fragment does not undo the events of 1204, but it offers a meaningful link between the city’s past and present.
