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.
The robbers arrived at the Hieron museum on motorbikes. Three of them entered, wearing helmets, while a fourth criminal kept watch outside, the mayor of the town Jean-Marc Nesme told AFP.
Four members of staff and visitors were inside the museum, reports the regional daily. “The staff were able, from the start, to take refuge in a nearby house,” said the councilor.
“A great loss for the national heritage”
According to information from AFP and the Journal de Saône-et-Loire, the robbers fired shots heading towards the centerpiece of the museum, 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 by the Ministry of Culture. It is estimated between 5 and 7 million euros, specifies Jean-Marc Nesme.
The robbers stole his gold and ivory statuettes, as well as emerald decorations, after having sawn with a chainsaw the armored windows which protected the work of more than two meters high, reports the AFP. They also sawed off part of its marble base.
“It is a great loss for Paray-le-Monial and for the national heritage,” Jean-Marc Nesme lamented to AFP, regretting that this treasure had been “ransacked”. 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.
Original article published on BFMTV.com
