This small village in Lot-et-Garonne is the victim of a series of mysterious thefts

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In 10 years, it is the third statue of the virgin which appeared on this very busy route in Lot-et-Garonne. The previous two were stolen… 7 years apart.

The virgin at the edge of departmental road 813 in Fauillet, on the bend, has been there for decades, facing the village church. She has seen vehicles pass by, witnessed hundreds of accidents, more or less serious.

She met de Gaulle

It is estimated that it spent around a hundred years there, at the crossroads of the D101 and the D813. It is difficult to know when exactly it was first erected. But it was already there in 1962, since Charles de Gaulle placed a wreath of flowers at his feet during his visit to the region. “The presidential procession stopped and the mayor at the time laid wreaths” explains the current first councilor, Gilbert Dufourg.

This virgin, who knew de Gaulle, was stolen… in 2017. Just after Easter celebrationswhile work on the long-awaited roundabout was underway, workers noticed the disappearance of the virgin. “He broke the base to leave with it” remembers the first councilor. This statue has never been found.

Return of the Virgin in 2019

They went to look for her in person, in 2019. “We bought a virgin from a second-hand dealer from Dordogne » says Gilbert Dufourg. “She was big, she took up the whole van,” smiles her assistant Marie-Chantal Trinque.

Cost of the operation? Around €200 for the town of Fauillet who thus found the statue in the same place. The municipality's technical services had sealed the 1m70 work firmly, “with large scrap metal rods going from the base to the statue”.

A new flight at the end of 2024

This time, the virgin was stolen without damage, cleanly. It was gently unsealed, and flew away. It was September 20. This disappearance was noted by a former city agent, who raised the alarm.

“There were this same type of thefts in Landes and La Réole over the same period of time.”

Is there a gang of religious object thieves? No one knows…

A generous donor

Another virgin has already appeared, “we are watching her closely”warns the mayor of Fauillet. It was offered by a painter, living in the neighboring town of Varès. “Jean-Claude Legrand had a statue of a virgin in his workshop, he offered to restore it and install it for us” says Gilbert Dufourg.

This was done at the end of 2024. A nice Christmas gift from this generous donor.

Once again, a virgin, this time 1m20 tall, sits at the entrance to the village. Turned towards the church, as usual.

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