Four bikers robbed the Hieron museum in Paray-le-Monial and stole elements of the work “The Path of Life”, classified as a national treasure.
5 to 7 million euros were gone in a few minutes, stolen in the middle of the day. Thursday, November 21, four people robbed the Hiéron museum in Paray-le-Monial (Saône-et-Loire), between Dijon and Clermont-Ferrand. The criminals left with parts of the work Vita Vitaeor “The Path of Life”, classified as a national treasure in 2000 by the Ministry of Culture.
The thieves arrived on motorbikes and entered the museum wearing helmets. One of them stayed outside to keep watch, explained the mayor of the town, Jean-Marc Nesme. Four members of staff and visitors were present during the robbery. “The staff were able, from the start, to take refuge in a nearby house,” said the elected official. According to the Journal de Saône-et-Loire, the criminals fired shots before heading towards the centerpiece of the museum.
Yesterday, an armed robbery took place at the Musée du Hiéron in Paray-le-Monial, in Saône-et-Loire. The Chemin de vie, work of the jeweler Chaumet, classified as a national treasure, was damaged and certain parts stolen. I condemn with the greatest firmness these unacceptable acts which pic.twitter.com/grazbLSiIJ
— Rachida Dati (@datirachida) November 22, 2024
Second museum in two days
The monumental work of more than two meters, created at the beginning of the 20th century by the jeweler Chaumet, retraces the life of Jesus. It “was damaged, and certain parts were stolen,” said Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture, in a post on X on Friday. The robbers cut the armored glass using a chainsaw. They then seized gold and ivory statuettes, as well as emerald decorations. They also sawed off part of the marble base of the work, reports BFMTV.
“I condemn with the greatest firmness these unacceptable acts which harm our heritage,” declared Rachida Dati, who welcomed the speed of the intervention of the police. The thieves fled on a motorbike. And if we already thought about this incredible heist, it doesn’t stop there. According to the media, the bikers sowed nails on the roadway as they fled, which caused the puncture of two gendarmerie vehicles, which were chasing them. The robbers have not yet been found. An investigation is opened, led by the Charolles research brigade, supported by the Dijon research section.
This is the second museum heist in two days. On Wednesday, in Paris, the Cognacq-Jay museum was the victim of a theft, under similar conditions. Four bikers, gloved and helmeted, came armed with baseball bats and axes. They left with five collectible boxes and snuff boxes and fled on a motorbike. According to Le Figarothe damage could amount to one million euros.