Czech police have detained a 35-year-old man suspected of stealing the 800-year-old skull of Saint Zdislava of Lemberk from a church in the northern Czech Republic. The theft occurred on Tuesday at the Saint Lawrence and Saint Zdislava basilica in Jablonne v Podjestedi, located 110 km north of Prague. Security camera footage showed a hooded person dressed in black running between the basilica's benches with the relic.
The relic was discovered encased in concrete, and experts are currently working to extract it. The suspect, who was detained on Thursday, admitted to the theft, stating that he disagreed with the display of the relic in the church and intended to bury it privately in a river. He now faces up to eight years in prison if convicted of theft.
Saint Zdislava of Lemberk, who lived from 1220 to 1252, was known for her generosity and work for the poor before being canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1995. Prague Archbishop Stanislav Pribyl described the theft as devastating news, noting that the skull is highly revered by pilgrims.