Thief Steals 800-Year-Old Saint Zdislava Skull from Czech Basilica
Updated
Updated · CNN · May 13
Thief Steals 800-Year-Old Saint Zdislava Skull from Czech Basilica
10 articles · Updated · CNN · May 13
Police said a thief grabbed the 800-year-old skull of Saint Zdislava of Lemberk from a display box in a basilica in Jablonne v Podjestedi on Tuesday and fled.
Security footage showed a black-clad silhouette running between church benches with what police said was the relic, though investigators later said they were still verifying whether the suspect was a man.
The basilica sits about 110 km north of Prague, and Prague Archbishop Stanislav Pribyl called the theft devastating because pilgrims revered the skull for its historical and spiritual significance.
Saint Zdislava, who lived from 1220 to 1252, was known for helping the poor and was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1995.
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