French Police Arrest Man Who Stole and Destroyed St. Nicholas’ Bones
French authorities arrest suspect who stole and burned bones of St. Nicholas from Lorraine basilica.
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French police have arrested a suspect who allegedly stole and burned the bones of St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra, from a basilica in Lorraine on October 28. The parish priest filed a complaint on November 2 at the police station in Dombasle-sur-Meurthe, according to a translation of an article published in the French outlet L’Est Républicain. The police immediately opened an investigation into the incident.
The alleged theft occurred at the Basilica of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department of Lorraine, according to the Brussels Signal. French police identified the suspect, who has not publicly been named, and arrested him at his home, L’Est Républicain reported. The suspect purportedly claimed he spontaneously smashed the protective case containing the bones of St. Nicholas. In addition, the suspect allegedly said he was driven by “fetishism” and acted out of a “desire to destroy” the relic, according to the French Catholic outlet Catholix referenced by the Brussels Signal.
The suspect allegedly burned and crushed the remains. He appeared in court at the Judicial Court of Nancy and underwent a psychiatric evaluation, which determined he was legally responsible for his actions, according to L’Est Républicain.
🔴🇫🇷 𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗘 — Des OSSEMENTS attribués à saint Nicolas, évêque de Myre, conservés depuis 1098 à Saint-Nicolas-de-Port, en Meurthe-et-Moselle, ont été VOLÉS dans leur reliquaire, au sein de la basilique, puis DÉTRUITS. Le suspect, interpellé à son domicile, a reconnu avoir BRISÉ la vitrine protégeant le reliquaire, avant d’en voler le contenu, de BRÛLER les ossements puis de les ÉCRASER par « désir de destruction ». (Source : L’Est Républicain)
French Catholic outlet Catholix reacted to the incident, saying the destruction of the relic “wipes out a piece of the religious history of Lorraine and of France,” according to the Brussels Signal. St. Nicholas was the bishop of Myra in the fourth century, according to Britannica. He was imprisoned by Roman emperor Diocletian, who persecuted Christians, and was released under the rule of Constantine I. St. Nicholas was known for his generosity, including giving marriage dowries to poor girls who would have otherwise been forced into prostitution. Today, he is commonly known as the main inspiration for Santa Claus.
While St. Nicholas was buried in Myra, his remains were allegedly stolen in 1087 by Italian sailors, who took them to Bari, according to Britannica. In 1098, knight Aubert de Varangéville brought a bone from St. Nicholas’ right hand to Lorraine, according to the Brussels Signal. Duke Rene II declared St. Nicholas the patron saint of Lorraine and commissioned the basilica to house his remains following the Duchy of Lorraine’s victory in the Battle of Nancy in 1477.
The theft of the saint’s bones is not the only incident that has impacted the basilica. In February, the basilica was evacuated because of a fire that may have been set deliberately, according to the Brussels Signal.
Source: Daily Caller
