A 45-year-old French fan of liturgical art has been arrested in Toulouse after police found almost 80 paintings, statues, relics and other items stolen from local churches on display in several rooms at his home.
The mysterious series of 19 thefts in 17 churches in the region between October 2014 and May 2015 came to an end after the man stole a reliquary containing a bone from St Thomas Aquinas, whose Dominican Order was founded in the south-western city in the thirteenth century. Police apparently found his fingerprints at the scene.
All stolen items have since been returned to their churches, although some had to be repaired after being damaged during the theft. In one church, the thief used a long stick to knock statues off ledges behind a locked gate and pull them out.
The pious pilferer, who will be tried next month, was almost caught in the act when experts reviewing the art in the church interrupted him. With his loot hidden in a large bag, he claimed to be there to plan a wedding.
10 December 2015, The Tablet
Pious pilferer
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