The Holy Tunic of Argenteuil, venerated by tradition as the garment worn by Jesus Christ during his Passion, will exceptionally leave its basilica to be transferred on September 25 to the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, on the outskirts of Paris, where it will be present during the great prayer vigil of Leo XIV with 80,000 young people.
The presence of the relic will give particular meaning to one of the main encounters of the Pope’s trip to France. At the end of the vigil, the Tunic will be presented before Leo XIV and the young people gathered in the stadium for a time of prayer.
The Holy Tunic before Leo XIV and 80,000 young people
The presence of the relic was announced this Thursday, September 3, by the custodians of the Holy Tunic of Argenteuil, who described the news as “a great event” and spoke of a “historic moment” before the Holy Father.
The vigil, which will take place on Friday, September 25, will be especially dedicated to young people between 17 and 35 years old from different parts of the country.
The 80,000 available places for the gathering are already sold out, within the high participation that is being recorded in the preparation of Leo XIV’s first trip to France.
Father Guy-Emmanuel Cariot, former rector of the basilica of Argenteuil and one of the promoters of the initiative, had initially raised the possibility of the Pontiff visiting the shrine. Since that stop could not be included in the program of the trip, the proposal arose to transfer the relic to the meeting with the Pope.
The garment the soldiers did not divide
The Holy Tunic is usually kept in the basilica of Saint-Denys of Argenteuil, in the department of Val-d’Oise, northwest of Paris. Tradition identifies it with the garment worn by Christ during his Passion and which is expressly mentioned in the Gospel of Saint John.
After crucifying Jesus, the soldiers divided his garments, but they found a tunic “without seam, woven in one piece from top to bottom.” To avoid tearing it, they decided to cast lots for it: “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be” (Jn 19:23-24).
The veneration of the relic of Argenteuil has thus been linked for centuries to this passage and to the contemplation of the Passion of Christ.
According to tradition, the Tunic arrived in France in the time of Charlemagne and was entrusted to the monastery of Argenteuil, where his daughter Theodrade was. Its presence in the locality has been attested since the Middle Ages.
The relic subsequently survived numerous historical episodes. During the French Revolution, faced with the danger of its destruction, the parish priest of Argenteuil cut it into several fragments and hid them in different places. Most of them were later recovered and reassembled.
An exceptional departure from Argenteuil
The transfer to the Stade de France constitutes an exceptional event, since the relic rarely leaves its usual place of conservation.
The last great extraordinary exposition took place between April 18 and May 11, 2025, coinciding with the Jubilee and the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. During those weeks, numerous French and foreign pilgrims came to Argenteuil to venerate it.
A little over a year later, the Tunic will once again be presented publicly, this time outside its basilica and before tens of thousands of young people gathered with the Pope.
The transfer will also require special protective measures. The reliquary usually used for expositions is not suitable for transport due to its fragility, so a specific reliquary is being prepared for the occasion. The journey to Saint-Denis will be carried out under security measures and the details of the itinerary will not be disclosed in advance.
One of the major encounters of Leo XIV’s trip
The vigil at the Stade de France will be one of the main events of Leo XIV’s apostolic journey to France, scheduled from September 25 to 28.
The gathering will be dedicated to youth and will combine testimonies, music, the intervention of the Pontiff, and various moments of prayer. The presence of the Holy Tunic will introduce into the vigil a direct reference to the Passion of Christ.
The visit of Leo XIV has generated a strong response among French Catholics. In addition to the 80,000 places filled at the Stade de France, Lourdes has closed its registrations after reaching the 150,000 pilgrims expected to welcome the Pontiff.
The Holy Tunic will thus arrive from Argenteuil to the largest stadium in France to accompany one of the central encounters of the papal visit: tens of thousands of young people gathered with Leo XIV before a relic venerated for centuries.