Thief steals skull of Saint Zdislava from basilica at start of church service

The skull of Saint Zdislava was stolen on Monday evening from the basilica in Jablonné v Podještědí in the Liberec region at the beginning of a church service. The alarm system had been switched off at the time because of the upcoming ceremony.

Only a priest was inside the church, preparing for the service in the sacristy. “When he came to the altar, he heard two bangs and saw someone running away,” Pavel P. Mayer, dean of the Dominican order in Jablonné v Podještědí, told the Czech News Agency. The skull of Saint Zdislava had been placed in one of the side altars in the main nave of the basilica.

The Roman Catholic Church commemorates Saint Zdislava on May 30. She is often depicted as giving alms to the poor or caring for the sick. Other attributes associated with her include children, her husband, a church, grapevines, ivy and a coat of arms featuring a lioness. Zdislava was beatified in 1907 and canonised by Pope John Paul II in 1995.