A national treasure, estimated at several million euros, stolen from the Hieron museum during an armed robbery

Thursday, November 21, at 4 p.m., four individuals stormed the Hiéron museum, specializing in sacred art, in Paray-le-Monial, in Saône-et-Loire. The centerpiece of the museum, The Way of Life (1904) by the Parisian goldsmith Joseph Chaumet, which traces the life of Jesus, was almost entirely looted.

After stopping on motorbikes in front of the museum, three of the four robbers burst in, opening fire with guns to sow panic at the reception, before seizing the pieces which adorned the The Way of Life. They stole its gold and ivory statuettes, as well as emerald decorations, after sawing with a chainsaw the armored windows which protected the nearly three meter high work. They also sawed off part of its marble base.

The flight lasted only three minutes. Despite the presence of security devices inside and outside the place, the criminals managed to seize the works before the arrival of the police. The robbers fled on motorbikes, throwing nails on the road, thus neutralizing two gendarmerie vehicles which were on their heels, a sign that the operation was prepared, the gendarmerie said.

Classified as a national treasure by the Ministry of Culture, this monumental piece, 3 meters high and weighing 3 tonnes, carved from a mountain of marble, is estimated at 4 million euros, according to the mayor. It was one of the rare masterpieces of this value still preserved in the provinces.

Around twenty visitors were present on the ground floor of the museum at the time of the robbery, as well as its staff, now “traumatized”relates the mayor. They managed to escape and some took refuge in a neighboring house.

The Mâcon public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the charge of armed theft by an organized gang.

Previous burglaries

This attack constitutes “a real disaster and a great loss for the national heritage and for the town of Paray-le-Monial”declared, very moved, Mayor Jean-Marc Nesmes. As a national treasure, it embodied a precious heritage, rare in the provinces.

On her X account, the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, strongly condemned “these unacceptable acts which harm our heritage”.

The Musée du Hieron is one of the oldest French sacred art museums. He was already the victim of a burglary in 2017, where two Romay crowns from goldsmith Paul Brunet were stolen, as well as an attempted burglary in September 2022.