The Louvre Museum in Paris has been closed for the day after a robbery on Sunday, local officials have said. Unconfirmed media reports claimed that several criminals stole nine pieces from the Napoleonic jewelry collection.
The incident was reported by French Culture Minister Rachida Dati, who said on X that “a robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum.” She added that there are no reports of injuries and that a police investigation is underway. The minister provided no further details.
The museum itself said that it will remain closed for the day due to “exceptional reasons.”
The newspaper Le Parisien reported, citing a preliminary investigation, that several hooded criminals broke into the world’s most visited art museum through a building where construction work is ongoing, and then used a freight elevator to access a room in the Apollo Gallery, which houses part of France’s historic royal jewelry.
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The thieves reportedly stole nine pieces from the jewelry collection of Napoleon and the Empress, including a necklace, a brooch, a tiara, and several other items, according to the paper. However, the 140-carat Regent Diamond, estimated to be worth more than $60 million, reportedly remained in place.
Le Parisien said that one of the stolen items, which appears to be a broken crown of Empress Eugenie, the spouse of Napoleon III, was found outside the museum.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez later told reporters that the entire heist took only seven minutes, meaning the criminals “had been clearly scouting.” He acknowledged that the authorities “can’t prevent everything,” adding that there is “great vulnerability in French museums.”
The last theft from the Louvre dates back to 1983, when two Renaissance metalwork pieces – a ceremonial helmet and breastplate — were stolen. They were recovered in Belgium in 2021.
The most famous Louvre robbery, however, happened in 1911, when an Italian tradesman named Vincenzo Peruggia stole Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’, hiding it under his smock. The painting was missing for two years, a heist that helped make it the world’s most recognized artwork.
The Louvre attracts around 9 million visitors each year, and houses more than 615,000 objects, including about 35,000 artworks on public display, spanning from ancient civilizations to the 19th century.
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