Beheaded Statue of Mary in Klein-Winternheim
Unknown perpetrators beheaded a statue of Mary in a Marian grotto located in Klein-Winternheim. The offenders also damaged devotional objects and stole rosaries and other small religious items.
During the night leading into Sunday, 29–30 March 2026, unknown individuals vandalised the Marian grotto located in the vineyards outside Klein-Winternheim, in the Mainz-Bingen district.
The perpetrators severed the head of the statue of the Virgin Mary using a stone, leaving it lying next to the figure. They also damaged candles and stole small devotional offerings, including rosaries and angel figurines left by visitors as tokens of gratitude.
The statue, created by local artist Maya Albrecht, sustained significant damage. Parts of the destroyed figure were scattered throughout the surrounding vineyards, and the nose of the statue remains missing. The estimated financial loss is approximately €5,000.
Ute Kipping-Karbach of the Catholic parish of St. Andreas described the act as shocking and expressed sadness over the destruction of what she characterised as a defenceless religious object: "It's cowardly to do something like that." Local authorities and police are investigating the incident.
Source: SWR, tagesschau
Photo: tagesschau