Spanish Police Recover Three Stolen Religious Artworks

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Spanish police have successfully recovered three religious artworks that were stolen from churches in Valladolid over the summer. While a suspect is currently in custody, investigators continue to search for a fourth missing sculpture.

The recovered objects include a Baroque wooden angel from the Church of Vera Cruz, a reproduction of Ecce Homo by Spanish Renaissance painter Luis de Morales, and a panel depicting the Seventh Station of the Cross. The latter two pieces had belonged to the Church of San Pablo.

According to El País, police arrested a man on September 17 in Valladolid's Arturo Eyries neighborhood. Witnesses had assisted investigators in connecting a series of church thefts that occurred between July and September. The suspect faces allegations of crimes against historical heritage. During a search of his home, police discovered several items believed to have been used in the thefts, including bags for concealing and transporting artworks and an electric scooter reportedly used for travel between churches. However, no missing art was found at the time of the arrest. The ongoing investigation subsequently led to the recovery of three of the four missing objects. Police have not disclosed the location or circumstances of the artworks' recovery.

One piece, a 19th-century polychrome wooden angel from the Church of San Felipe Neri, remains unaccounted for. The thefts drew considerable attention in September, partly due to the apparent ease with which the artworks were taken. At San Pablo, church officials suspected that two objects were stolen during an evening Mass while parishioners faced the altar. Witnesses reportedly observed a man departing the church with a large plastic bag. These incidents prompted the Archbishopric of Valladolid to issue a warning to churches across the region, urging them to enhance security, maintain photographic inventories of their collections, and promptly report any suspected thefts. Police noted that the unusually rapid succession of thefts helped them focus their search on a single suspect. Investigators have found no evidence of accomplices, El País reported. This case also comes amid growing concerns about thefts from European museums and religious institutions, with Europol highlighting an increase in museum robberies, particularly involving gold objects.

We previously reported:

Two Renoir paintings stolen last month from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, valued at €9 million, have been recovered, and six suspects arrested.

Source: ARTnews

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