An image of the Virgin Mary located in the Stabiacciu roundabout in Porto-Vecchio, Corsica, was torn from its pedestal and destroyed during the early hours of Thursday. The scene, recorded and later shared on social media, shows several individuals acting obscenely around the statue before toppling it.
According to local media Corse Net Infos, which reported the incident on Thursday morning, the statue was found lying on the ground, and the Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed from the outset that the damage was deliberate. Hours later, footage of the attack began circulating, showing one of the individuals climbing onto the statue, making obscene gestures, and violently shaking it while another person recorded the scene.
The image, known as A Vergine Maria, stood beneath a stone arch at the entrance to Porto-Vecchio and had been installed in 2020. Over the years, it had become a site of devotion for many local residents.
The Church of Corsica calls for prayers for the conversion of the perpetrators
The Catholic Church of Corsica responded on Thursday, expressing its support for the parish community of Porto-Vecchio following the destruction of the statue. “The Church of Corsica expresses its support for the parish community of Porto-Vecchio after the vandalism of the statue of the Virgin Mary, located in the Stabiacciu roundabout,” the statement released during the day read.
The Church’s response went beyond condemning the act. “We pray for the conversion of those who have vandalized the image of Mary,” the local Church added, also encouraging the entire community to “find a path of serenity and peace through the prayer of the rosary,” on the first day of October, the month traditionally dedicated to the Holy Rosary.
The parish called on the faithful to gather at 5:30 p.m. at the Stabiacciu roundabout itself to pray at the site where the statue had stood just hours earlier. Earlier, the local Church had described the incident as “a serious and deeply shocking act” and announced that a complaint would be filed.
Two arrested and an investigation opened
The two suspects were located and identified within hours of the incident and were taken into police custody. According to the French media outlet, both had been working in the area as seasonal laborers, while authorities are also investigating possible alcohol consumption in the hours leading up to the attack.
The investigation will seek to determine both the exact circumstances of the incident and the motives behind the attack on the image of the Virgin. The mayor of Porto-Vecchio, Jean-Christophe Angelini, condemned the act, calling it “unacceptable” and announcing that the statue will be replaced as soon as possible.
The desecration of the Stabiacciu image adds to other recent attacks on Christian symbols in France. In June, an image of the Virgin was desecrated at a historic Marian shrine in the south of the country, while in August a cross located at the summit of Vieux Chaillol in the French Alps was mutilated on the very day of the Solemnity of the Assumption.