Armed robbers snatched jewels worth millions from a work by the famed Parisian goldsmith Joseph Chaumet classed as a national treasure, in a brazen heist at a French museum.
The thieves arrived on motorbikes at the Hiéron Museum in Paray-le-Monial, in central France, at about 4pm local time on Thursday. Three entered the building and one stood guard outside, said the local mayor, Jean-Marc Nesme.
The group fired several shots and headed for the museum’s star exhibit, a 3-metre (10ft) work made in 1904 depicting the life of Christ in precious metals, jewels and ivory.
Known as Via Vitae, it was classed as a national treasure by France’s culture ministry, with an estimated value of up to €7m (£5.8m), Nesme said. The gigantic piece comprises 138 figures encrusted with diamonds and rubies set in marble of various shades, and alabaster.
The intruders used a power tool to saw through armoured glass protecting the piece and took gold and ivory figurines as well as emerald decorations.
As they fled, the gang sowed spikes across the road to hobble two pursuing vehicles, police said.
Nesme said: “This is a great loss for Paray-le-Monial and for national heritage.” He said staff and about 20 visitors present on the museum’s ground floor had been “traumatised” by the violent intrusion.
The Hiéron Museum, one of France’s oldest for sacred art, has been targeted by thieves before. Two gold crowns were stolen in 2017, and there was an attempted robbery in 2022.
On Wednesday several precious objects including ornate snuffboxes were stolen from a central Paris museum. Thieves broke into a display case with axes and baseball bats in full view of visitors and staff in broad daylight at the Cognacq-Jay Museum.
