Four people broke into this museum located in Paray-le-Monial (Saône-et-Loire) this Thursday, November 21 in the afternoon. After having succeeded in stealing gold figurines, the criminals managed to flee.
The robbery took place in the middle of the afternoon, while visitors were present. This Thursday, November 21, four people broke into the Hiéron museum at Paray-le-Monial (Saône-et-Loire) around 4 p.m., the gendarmerie told BFMTV, confirming information from the Journal de Saône-et-Loire.
According to the regional daily, the robbers, helmeted and armed, burst into the museum while four members of staff and visitors were inside. “The staff were able, from the start, to take refuge in a nearby house,” explains Mayor Jean-Marc Nesme.
“A disaster for French heritage”
According to the gendarmerie, the thieves managed to steal several objects, including gold figurines. The Journal de Saône-et-Loire explains for its part that their target was the The Way of Lifea monumental work from the beginning of the 20th century retracing the life of Jesus and classified as a National Treasure in 2000.
Created by the goldsmith Joseph Chaumet, the The Way of Life is composed of 138 characters and nine scenes unfolding on a marble mountain 2 meters high and surrounded by alabaster. The robbers allegedly used a grinder to gain access to this work protected by armored glass.
“It’s a catastrophe, for French heritage, but also for Paray-le-Monial and its municipal museum,” underlines Jean-Marc Nesme in the Journal de Saône-et-Loire. On her X account, the Minister of Culture Rachida Dati also condemned “with the greatest firmness these unacceptable acts which undermine our heritage”.
The perpetrators of the robbery managed to escape on a motorbike, the gendarmes said. In their escape, they sowed nails on the road and caused the flat tires of two gendarmerie vehicles which were arriving to try to arrest them.
A first burglary attempt two years ago
Around fifty gendarmes were mobilized to try to find the robbers Thursday evening, but they were still on the run this Friday morning. An investigation has been opened and is being carried out by the Charolles research brigade, supported by the Dijon research section.
Two years ago, the Hieron museum had already been the victim of an attempted burglary. Three people had entered the establishment using a ladder to access the The Way of Life. They fled after unintentionally triggering the fire alarm. Two people suspected of being involved in this attempted burglary were arrested eight months later before being indicted and imprisoned.
Maxime Brandstaetter with Vincent Gautier
