Fragment of the relics of Saint Nicholas was stolen in France — the suspect confessed to destroying it

A fragment of the relics of Saint Nicholas was stolen from the Basilica of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port, near Nancy in France, and most likely destroyed. France Éternelle reports this, writes UNN.

Details

The basilica's priest filed a report on Monday, November 2, with the police in Dombasle-sur-Meurthe, reports L'Est Républicain.

According to the association that manages the building, the target of the theft was not the main reliquary, but a fragment installed in the early 2000s. According to the Catholix website, a suspect was detained and reportedly confessed to burning and subsequently destroying the relic. The basilica houses several other fragments of Saint Nicholas's relics.

The stolen fragment is not the one familiar to pilgrims. The part of the relic dating from 1892–1893 was not damaged. According to Catholix, most of the reliquary is displayed behind bars in a side chapel, while the smaller stolen reliquary had been placed on the patron saint's altar.

According to reports by Catholix, the arrested suspect confessed to acting impulsively, driven by a "desire to destroy the relic," which he compared to "fetishism." He allegedly smashed the display case, then burned and crushed the bone. The investigation is continuing.

The basilica houses not one but several relics of Saint Nicholas. The association's website mentions seven bone fragments. The oldest of these fragments is said to be the foundation of the city itself.

This story is well known in Lorraine. Around 1090, the knight Aubert de Varangéville, while passing through Bari, allegedly brought back a phalanx of the saint: the "blessing right hand." He placed it in the village of Port. Henry, the Abbot of Gorze, decided to build the first church there shortly before his death in 1093. 

It is this relic that is associated with the patronage of Saint Nicholas of Lorraine. 

The treasures have been stolen several times—in 1792, 1905, and 2026. In 1792, revolutionaries confiscated the reliquary, which was made of gold, silver, and gilded silver.

The current reliquary dates from 1892–1893. It was made by the Lyon-based firm Berger-Naime to a design by Émile Badel. It is 77 centimeters long and weighs 6 kilograms. The enamel on the sleeve depicts Saint Nicholas accompanied by two angels.

On the night of December 6–7, 1905, the year church and state were separated, the reliquary was also stolen along with various items from the church treasury. The story has an unusual ending. In 1930, twenty-five years later, Father Guillaume was preparing for Mass in the evening during a procession. He discovered the entire missing treasury on the main altar.

The difference with 2026 can be summed up in one word. In 1905, according to the association, the "theft" was probably intended to remove the treasury from the church's property, and everything was returned. This time, reports say, the target was the bone itself, and it will not be returned.