Prague Archbishop warns thief of priceless human relic he could be struck down by curse
The skull of Saint Zdislava, a priceless 800-year-old relic, was stolen this week from a glass case in the Basilica of St Lawrence and St Zdislava north of Prague. The theft has stunned clergy and worshippers alike, raising fears over the fate of an important religious and historical treasure.
Saint Zdislava, who lived between 1220 and 1252, was a Bohemian noblewoman known for founding monasteries and hospitals and caring for the sick and poor. She was beatified in 1907 and canonised in 1995 by Pope John Paul II. She is venerated as a patron saint of families, the poor and the sick.
The Basilica of St Lawrence and St Zdislava in Jablonné was built above her tomb between 1699 and 1729. Her skull, placed in a gilded reliquary in 1908 and separated from the rest of her remains for veneration, has been honoured there for more than a century and remains a powerful symbol of the region’s spiritual heritage.
This precious relic was stolen from its glass case shortly before the evening mass on Tuesday, when an unknown man smashed the glass case containing the skull, seized it and fled. The alarm had been switched off in view of the upcoming mass. The priest who was in the sacristy preparing for the mass says he heard two loud bangs and saw someone running away. Before he had time to recover from the shock the thief was gone.
Regional police spokeswoman Dagmar Sochorová said the suspect was captured on poor-quality security footage carrying the relic in his hand. He was believed to be wearing black or otherwise dark clothing, with white or light-coloured shoes. Detectives have appealed to the public for any information that could help identify the man or locate the stolen relic.
The Archbishop of Prague and Primate of the Czech Republic Stanislav Přibyl said he was devastated by the news and had a powerful message for the thief.
“Theft in a sacred place, and especially the theft of the remains of saints, is a truly serious matter. It is an attack on what is sacred. We believe that those whose remains we venerate live on and are active, and we pray to them. So it could happen that some curse or misfortune may befall that thief. That is not a threat, it is reality — such things do happen. I call on whoever took the skull to return it.”
Church officials are baffled by the possible motive behind this theft, stressing that the relic’s value is above all historical, and for believers deeply spiritual. Pilgrims have long travelled to Jablonné to honour Saint Zdislava, especially on her feast day of May 30.
On Wednesday, Josef Nuzík, head of the Czech Bishops' Conference, also appealed to the thief to return the skull. He said the person responsible still had a chance to correct the act and show respect for the dead and for the nation’s shared cultural values.
