Czech police are searching for a thief who stole a relic from a church
In the Czech Republic, police have been searching for the second day for the skull of Saint Zdislava, which was stolen right from the basilica in Jablonné v Podještědí. Law enforcement officials have released surveillance footage and are preparing to issue an international warrant for the relic. For local residents and the church, this is not just a theft, but the loss of a sacred relic that has been kept in the church for over a century. This was reported by Novinky.
The incident occurred on the evening of May 12 at the basilica in the Liberec Region. According to police, an unknown man took advantage of a moment before the start of the church service when the alarm near the reliquary was temporarily turned off.
Surveillance camera footage shows the man moving quickly between the church pews and then fleeing with the stolen item in his hands. According to law enforcement, the thief broke the double-layered protective glass, took the skull of Saint Zdislava, and fled the church in just a few minutes.
At that moment, only the priest was in the basilica, preparing for the service. “We have classified the incident as a theft,” said police spokeswoman Ivana Balakova.
She added that the relic has immense spiritual and historical value. “The stolen relic has spiritual and historical value that cannot be expressed in monetary terms,” Balakova emphasized.
The police plan to add the relic to an international database of stolen items to try to locate it outside the Czech Republic. Local priests say nothing like this has ever happened here before. “The skull of our saint has been here for 120 years, and this is the first time something like this has happened,” said Mayer, a representative of the basilica.
Despite the theft, the basilica has already reopened to visitors. The reliquary was left in place as it was after the attack—smashed and empty. Only the crown remained inside. Saint Zdislava is one of the most revered figures in the Czech Republic. Her relics are considered an important religious shrine, and pilgrims from various countries visit the basilica every year.
The police are urging anyone who may have seen a suspicious man near the church that evening or has any information about the relic to contact law enforcement.
