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- Two thieves were indeed maneuvered Wednesday morning.
- The thieves stole what they thought was a painting of 3 million euros ($ 3.4 million) at the Santa Maria Maddalena Church in Castelnuovo Magra, in the north of 39. ;Italy.
- Except that it was a fake.
- The police had heard of the planned robbery a month before it happened. She therefore exchanged the table with a replica and installed CCTV cameras in the church.
- The whole city played an important role. The mayor lied that the theft was a "blow to our community".
- Police are currently investigating surveillance images.
On Wednesday morning, two thieves broke into the Santa Maria Maddalena Church of the quiet town of Castelnuovo Magra, located about 100 km from Florence, in northern Italy.
Their target? "Crucifixion" by Pieter Brueghel the Younger – a representation of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in the 17th century.
This painting, considered a masterpiece of Flemish art, is worth around 3 million euros ($ 3.4 million), according to The Guardian.
Using a hammer to pierce the display case, the thieves managed to remove the board and leave with it in a Peugeot.
That morning, the mayor of the city, Daniele Montebello, told the press that the theft was "a blow to our community."
Except that it was not.
Montebello was lying.
What the thieves had actually stolen was a worthless replica of the Flemish masterpiece installed more than a month ago. In addition, the thieves had fallen into a police trap that had required the cooperation of half of the city to remain silent.
Montebello admitted Wednesday night that the stolen paint was a fake.
"Rumors were circulating that someone could steal the work, so the police decided to put it in a safe place, replacing it with a copy and installing cameras," said the mayor.
"I thank the police but also some faithful who noticed that the exposed painting was not the original but kept the secret."
Police are currently investigating surveillance images and interviewing witnesses who were outside the church at the time of the robbery.
"The Crucifixion" was donated to the church more than a century ago by a wealthy family. The scene is painted in oil on oak panels and is a copy of the work of the famous Brueghel father, although no version of the original survived .
During the Second World War, the painting was hidden from the Nazis who had stolen hundreds of thousands of paintings during the conflict. In 1981, thieves managed to steal "The Crucifixion", but only briefly because they were captured a few months later.
The protection of valuable works of art exhibited in churches poses a very real problem in Italy carabinieri because they are much more difficult to secure than a gallery or museum.
In 2017, more than 100 religious art works worth a total of 7 million euros ($ 7.9 million) were found as a result of a survey conducted by the Italian police.
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