PRAGUE – An unknown thief snatched the 800-year-old skull believed to be that of St Zdislava of Lemberk from a display box in a church in the northern Czech Republic and ran away with the relic, the police said on May 13.
A fuzzy security camera photo showed a silhouette dressed in black with what the police said was the skull of St Zdislava of Lemberk in their hands running between the benches in the St Lawrence and St Zdislava basilica in Jablonne v Podjestedi, 110km north of Prague, on May 12.
St Zdislava of Lemberk lived from 1220 to 1252 and was known for her generosity and work for the poor. She was canonised by Pope John Paul II in 1995.
“This is devastating news,” Prague Archbishop Stanislav Pribyl told news agency CTK.
“The skull was revered by pilgrims… I cannot believe that someone practically in broad daylight steals from church a relic whose value is, above all, historical and also spiritual for believers.”
The police identified the suspect as a man but a spokeswoman later said that they were not sure and were evaluating material from the security camera. REUTERS
