But where has the statue of the Virgin of Hontanx gone? Established in the Landes commune since 1893, it has disappeared. The gendarmerie is leading the investigation.
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“She didn’t ask anything from anyone, she didn’t bother anyone, really!” In Hontanx, a small Landes village of 613 souls at the gates of the Gers, the news has caused a lot of ink to flow. Here, everyone knows the statue of the Virgin. Installed on private land, in front of the cemetery since 1893, it had even become a landmark for motorists. So obviously, his disappearance at the end of November could not go unnoticed.
The villagers first imagined that it was being restored before learning that this was not the case. It was a hiker who alerted the mayor. “She came to the town hall and said to me: were you the one who removed the statue to repaint it? I replied no, absolutely not!” explains Jean-Louis Dejean.
The chosen one does not hide his amazement. “When I realized it had been stolen, I worried about another statue in the village, at another intersection. I went there straight away, but this one is smaller and it was still there fortunately!” This type of theft is a first in the town, enough to disrupt daily life. For Jean-Louis Dejean, there is no doubt, the operation was organized.
They had to come with a small truck, a small crane to remove it, it's not possible otherwise!
Jean-Louis DejeanMayor of Hontanx
Its owner, a wine grower and producer of Armagnac whose family has lived in the town for many years, is just as stunned. “It was my ancestors who financed this statue so that people could go and pray,” says Frédéric Blondeau. He never would have thought that this religious object would be stolen. He is also convinced that this theft was planned. “It was my wife who told me when I got home”
She told me “the virgin was stolen”. What, did we steal the virgin? I couldn't believe it.
Frederic BlondeauOwner of the statue
The Madonna measures one meter and fifty and weighs 100 kilos. Refusing to keep the matter quiet, he chose to bring it to the attention of the public on social networks by posting a publication on the village's Facebook page. Frédéric Blondeau also filed a complaint. “To mark the occasion” he said “If someone stole the bust of Napoleon or Alexander III from the bridge in Paris, people wouldn’t understand, well, it’s the same!”
It is the Villeneuve-de-Marsan brigade which is leading the investigation. She came to make observations. But for a week, the mystery remains unsolved. “It’s very exceptional this kind of theft around here, confirms a police officer. For the moment, we have no information. We may find her, but it's not certain.” adds the soldier. Olivier Cassaigne is diocesan treasurer of Aire and Dax. According to him, thefts of religious objects are not very frequent in the sector. “It is more degradation that we observe. Statues have been vandalized. Some time ago, a Station of the Cross was damaged for the second time. It's pretty regular. One or two pieces of information come back to us every month“, he believes.
Statues, chalices, bells, religious objects are sometimes real objects of art and arouse much desire, then resold on the internet. France is one of the countries most affected by these thefts.
Still, in Hontanx, there is no question that the Virgin Mary will not reappear. If the statue is not found, the mayor does not rule out launching a fundraiser among residents to buy a new one. “The scoop of the year”as he calls it, has already hit the mark with statue makers. “I have already received emails from companies”says Jean-Louis Dejean. The cost of installing a new statue is estimated at 1,300 euros. In the meantime, he hopes for a small miracle.
