A 43-year-old man was detained this Thursday after attempting to steal the mitre from the reliquary bust of Saint Januarius, patron saint of Naples, on display in the city’s Italian cathedral. The swift intervention of the Carabinieri and an Army patrol made it possible to recover the piece just minutes after it had been removed from the altar.
According to the Italian news agency ANSA, the individual, a foreign national, entered the temple alone and went straight to the spot where the saint’s bust was exhibited. There he took the mitre and hurriedly left the cathedral.
The swift action allowed the piece to be recovered
The temple’s custodian immediately reported what had happened and alerted the emergency services via the 112 number. Thanks to the surveillance cameras installed outside the cathedral, the Carabinieri operations center was able to track the suspect’s movements and coordinate his location.
An Italian Army patrol taking part in the «Strade Sicure» operation received the instructions by radio and managed to intercept the man shortly after he left the premises. Minutes later, agents from the Carabinieri mobile unit arrived, carried out his arrest and recovered the mitre.
Charged with attempted theft with aggravating circumstances
The detainee will have to answer in court for the crime of attempted theft with aggravating circumstances. The authorities returned the mitre to the cathedral’s heritage, thus reassuring the numerous devotees of Saint Januarius, whose figure occupies a central place in the religious and cultural life of Naples.
Saint Januarius, a 4th-century bishop and martyr, is one of Italy’s most venerated saints. His cathedral houses the saint’s famous relics and hosts three times a year the traditional rite of the liquefaction of his blood, watched with great anticipation by the faithful from all over the world.