Last pilgrimage to Napoleon’s tomb

The visits of the tomb led to the collection of an abundance of relics: “Once the first moments of contemplation had passed,” added Abbé Coquereau, “eager for historical memorabilia, we snatched a sprig of grass, a stone, a root from the soil, or a few leaves from the cypress,” down to the last dead willow and to the three tombstones. During the exhumation, small pieces of the outer mahogany coffin were shared. Some of the privileged people obtained rare fragments, such as a piece of solder from one of the lead coffins”.