The reliquary containing Anne of Brittany’s heart has been stolen

Released in many media, the theft of the gold reliquary that contained Anne of Brittany’s heart did not go unnoticed, and aroused the anger, sadness and misunderstanding of many Britons.

It was 3:30 am on Saturday, April 14, when several people broke into the Dobrée Museum in Nantes (Brittany). The alarm of the building did not push them to review their package, since, obviously well prepared, they were not there when the security services arrived. The criminals are left with the heart of gold, but also with at least fifty gold coins, reason which makes fear the worst to Julie Pellegrin, the director of the Dobrée museum, namely the melting of the reliquary, which would end in vulgar ingot. Lost forever him who had escaped the pangs of the French Revolution. It must be said that the reliquary no longer contained the heart of Anne of Brittany for a long time, probably disaggregated according to specialists. Indeed, this jewel had been made in 1514 to respect the will of the Duchess of Brittany that her heart was buried near her parents. Saved from the cast after the Revolution, it has been preserved in the Dobrée Museum since 1886.

Greed has been the watchword of the thieves of 2018. An obsession: that this invaluable heritage of Brittany is melted. To avoid this disaster, the public prosecutor’s office of Nantes entrusted the investigation to the antenna judicial police of Nantes. The Crime Squad is also reinforced by the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police, but also by the Central Office for the Control of Cultural Property. Exceptional business, substantial means.

The investigators spent the day Saturday raking the scene to make painstaking, demanding, exhaustive findings. Not a square centimeter of the museum will escape the police magnifying glass. CCTV images have begun to be exploited. It reveals that there were many thieves. The rest is watched as and when.

Of course, the neighborhood of the museum has been heard and for now, all the assumptions are open.

The Brittany History Center stated that

In front of the historical, cultural, artistic challenge, in front of the emergency of the situation, the center of history of Brittany / kreizenn istor Breizh calls to the persons in charge of the flight of the reliquary of the heart of the duchess Anne de Bretagne (1477-1514) , also three times queen. This heart is a treasure of Brittany. We can only implore those responsible for theft to make intact this essential piece in the history of Brittany. If necessary, the BHC will use its influence to collect the ransom that may be required.