Authorities in France are urgently working to recover valuable jewels taken from the Louvre.
On October 19, thieves infiltrated the renowned museum and made off with eight pieces of jewelry, which have been described by experts as ‘priceless’.
The stolen items reportedly include a necklace, a brooch, and a tiara.
Although nine pieces were initially taken from the Apollo Gallery, only eight were successfully stolen as the thieves dropped a crown during their escape, according to BBC News.
One of the missing jewels belonged to Napoleon’s wife, Empress Marie-Louise.
Due to the significant theft, the Louvre remained closed on Sunday and continues to be closed today (Monday, October 20).
Following the robbery, French President Emmanuel Macron issued a statement, referring to the incident as ‘an attack on a cultural asset that we value because it is part of our history’.
He continued: “We will recover the works and bring the perpetrators to justice. Under the leadership of the Paris public prosecutor’s office, everything is being done everywhere to achieve this.”
This robbery is not an isolated event at the Louvre. In 1911, the Mona Lisa, painted by Leonardo da Vinci, was stolen from the museum.
The thief, Vincenzo Peruggia, managed to enter the Louvre unchallenged by wearing his previous work uniform, having been briefly employed by the museum.
He calmly left the establishment with the famous painting hidden under his smock.
The Mona Lisa was not found until two years later when Peruggia tried to sell it to another museum.
In 1966, antique jewelry was stolen by thieves while it was being returned to France from Virginia, where it had been on loan to a museum. These items were later discovered in a plastic grocery bag in New York.
In 1990, another daytime theft occurred when a small Renoir painting was cut from its frame at the Louvre. Twelve pieces of ancient Roman jewelry and several other paintings were also stolen during this heist, according to National Geographic.
Following the recent theft, France’s Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin acknowledged security lapses in safeguarding the iconic museum.
“What is certain is that we have failed, since people were able to park a furniture hoist in the middle of Paris, get people up it in several minutes to grab priceless jewels and give France a terrible image,” he said on France Inter radio.