Lithuania, Europe, late 18th c. – early 20th c.

The crown was used in solemn ceremonies, when a novice would profess their eternal vows. The ceremony would begin with Holy Mass and Communion after which the novice would read the text of the vows from a sheet before handing it over to the priest, who would lay it down on the altar. The priest would then solemnly bless a new habit, and the abbess, along with the other nuns, would take the novice's white veil off her head and put on the newly blessed habit. The priest presiding over the ceremony would then place a new veil and a crown on the nun’s head and from that moment onwards, the novice would become a Benedictine nun and a bride of Christ.