Said to be divinely perpetually filled through a miracle of St. Remigius, the Holy Ampulla of France relic was a bottle of anointing oil used to anoint most of the kings of France at Reims cathedral. Dating from around 500 A.D. with King Clovis I, this tiny Roman glass bottle was the primary motivation for Joan's remarkable military campaign taking back city after city from the English occupiers so that Charles VII could be crowned at Reims and legitimized in the eyes of his subjects. This real one-inch glass bottle (only a little smaller than the historical ampulla which was 1.5") filled with real anointing oil is glued on a 4" glossy round card depicting the jeweled reliquary as imagined based on historical descriptions, with rubies and a silver dove holding the bottle. Set of 20. Krewe members hand-embellish the card with actual 3D rhinestones. Reims Cathedral (with an oversized Holy Ampulla) will be a new prop for 2027, in our new battalion, "Road to Reims." 

The back of the card has the story: "Joan called Charles VII “dauphin” (prince) because he hadn’t been crowned yet. Others less politely called him the King of Bourges, because that’s all he had left to rule, with northern France occupied by the English, including Paris and Reims. Why Reims? At the baptism of the first French king Clovis I, St. Remigius put two empty vials on the altar, and they were divinely filled with anointing oil. Conveniently, these same Roman glass bottles were discovered buried in the saint’s crypt at Reims just in time to use the very same divine oil to anoint Louis VII in 1131. Thus, the Holy Ampulla was divinely refilled for centuries, ensuring Reims a place in history as the coronation site for all the French kings (and as a lucrative pilgrimmage site). Joan knew a proper coronation with the Holy Ampulla oil at Reims was essential for a united, sovereign France. After her victory at Orléans, she and the French army made one of the greatest comebacks in military history, taking back another 12 cities. Charles VII was crowned at Reims on July 17, 1429, with Joan at his side. The Holy Ampulla crowned many more French kings until it was publicly smashed with a hammer in the French revolution in 1793. Your ampulla
contains unconsecrated anointing oil (olive, balsam, and myrrh).

The Holy Ampulla is also featured this year on our doubloon and coaster design.