Golden Jesus statue stolen and smashed in Vilnius

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 14 Nov, 22:49 · Archive

Two men suspected to be British tourists stole a golden Jesus Christ statue from the Shrine of Divine Mercy, a 15th-century church in the Old Town of Vilnius, Lithuania, on 11 November at about 9pm. CCTV footage captured the incident on Dominikonų Street.

In the footage, one man carries the large golden statue while appearing intoxicated and unsteady on his feet. His companion sits on a nearby bench, filming on his phone and laughing. As the man holding the statue lifts it to pose for a photograph, the statue's arms suddenly break off. The figure then falls and crashes to the ground, shattering into several small pieces. A car subsequently drives along the street and appears to crush some of the pieces under its wheels.

The two men then quickly flee the scene. One is heard saying 'listen… listen… praise the lord!' in what appears to be a Northern English accent, and after dropping the statue, 'oh my god, we did not', according to one outlet's report. The men are believed to be British based on their accents, though their nationalities have not been officially confirmed.

Vilnius Police said: 'On November 11, at about 9pm in Vilnius, Dominikonów St., from the inner courtyard of the church, an unidentified person broke a golden sculpture of Jesus hanging on a wooden cross. The damage is being assessed.' The church's priest, Elijas Anatolijus Markauskas, appealed for help to identify the two men. He said the damage caused him pain, describing the statue not merely as an object but as 'the image of the one we love, to whom we pray and entrust the world, the Homeland, our loved ones and ourselves'. The broken remains have been left at the spot where it was taken from, with flowers placed there.

How it is being reported

• Suspected UK tourists shatter golden Jesus statue after stealing it from historic churchThe Shrine of Divine Mercy church, where the statue was stolen, is home to the famous 1934 painting of the Divine Mercy.New York Post · 14 Nov, 21:33
• Moment drunken British tourists steal statue of Christ before smashing it on ground and running awayCCTV footage shows two men chuckling on a street in Vilnius, Lithuania, as one hauls the golden statue to pose for a photo.Daily Mail · 14 Nov, 12:48
• ‘Drunk British tourists’ steal golden Jesus statue from church and smash it leaving locals ‘in pain’To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page Two suspected British tourists smashed a stolen statue of Jesus from a 15th-century church in Lithuania . Footage shows a man carrying the statue away from…Metro · 14 Nov, 10:20
• Golden Jesus Christ statue stolen and smashed by 'drunk British tourist' as police launch investigationShocking CCTV footage has captured the moment a man drops and shatters a golden Jesus Christ statue after allegedly stealing it. It is believed to have been stolen from a nearby 15th-century Shrine of Divine Mercy church in the Old Town of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. In the CCTV footage, the two men, suspected to be "drunk British tourists", are seen laughing as one man approaches the other with the statue. The man appears intoxicated and unsteady on his feet as he shows the other man, who is sitting on a bench, the large golden statue. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say The man is seen…GB News · 14 Nov, 09:43

In this story: Vilnius · Lithuania · Shrine of Divine Mercy · Elijas Anatolijus Markauskas · Vilnius Police

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log