A particularly unusual theft occurred in northern Czech Republic, where an approximately 800-year-old skull, attributed to a medieval saint, was stolen from a church, police said Wednesday. The case has sparked outrage in the country due to the relic's historical and religious significance.
The stolen item is believed to be the skull attributed to Saint Zdislava of Lemberk, kept in a display case at the Basilica of Saints Lawrence and Zdislava, located in Jablonné v Podještědí, about 110 kilometers north of Prague. The theft occurred on Tuesday, according to authorities.
According to CCTV footage, an individual dressed in black smashed the display case before grabbing the relic and fleeing on foot between the church pews. Police released a blurry image of the suspect, captured by security cameras.
Czech law enforcement has launched an investigation to identify and locate the thief, while also assessing the extent of the financial loss. No suspects have been apprehended so far.
The basilica has housed objects related to Saint Zdislava, an important religious figure in medieval Bohemia, for centuries. The disappearance of this skull, considered a precious relic by some worshippers, represents a major symbolic loss for the site.
The authorities are calling on anyone with information to come forward to help recover the object, whose historical and spiritual value far exceeds its mere material dimension.
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