The Libaux prayer cave in Lessard-en-Bresse, a site on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route, was extensively vandalized with broken statues and overturned candles.
Between October 18 and 19, 2025, the Libaux prayer cave in Lessard-en-Bresse, Saône-et-Loire, France, was vandalized, with all religious items inside reportedly “broken and overturned,” according to Mayor Alain Philippe. The cave, located along departmental road 678 and known as a stop on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route, was described by local officials as a Christian place of worship and a site for travelers. The mayor stated,
“Absolutely everything is good for the waste disposal centre,” and noted that a complaint would be filed with the gendarmerie. While Philippe refrained from assigning motive and stated that it could have been committed by deliquent youths, Gilles Platret, mayor of Chalon-sur-Saône, publicly called it “yet another anti-Christian act.” The incident followed previous acts of vandalism in the area, including damage to a church square the same weekend.