Man arrested in Paris for stealing sword from Joan of Arc sculpture

French law enforcement officers detained a man in Paris who stole a sword from the bronze sculpture of Joan of Arc - the crime occurred on January 2. This is reported by UNN with reference to Hypeallergic.

Details

As noted by the police, the man broke off and stole a sword from the equestrian sculpture of Joan of Arc in the Place Saint-Augustin in the 8th arrondissement of Paris in broad daylight.

Karen Taieb, Paris Deputy Mayor for Heritage, History and Religious Affairs, said that CCTV footage showed the man "shaking the horse violently, then climbing onto the statue and breaking the sword with his bare hands."

The man then fled with the sword, which broke into pieces. He was stopped by patrol officers. It is currently unknown whether the bronze weapon can be repaired or if an identical copy will have to be made.

Additionally

Joan of Arc is a French national heroine and Catholic saint. She fought for the liberation of the French from English rule. In 1431, the English captured her and executed her by burning her alive at the stake.

Twenty-five years later, in 1456, she was declared innocent. In 1920, the Catholic Church canonized her.

The statue itself was installed on February 20, 1874, and unveiled in the same year.

Recall

In late December 2025, near the Ukrainian House in Copenhagen, a vandal destroyed sculptures from the exhibition "My Body Is a Battlefield. Copenhagen" by Ukrainian artist Maria Kulikovska.