Theft and Vandalism in the Chapel of Saint-Valery-sur-Somme
A painting of the chapel of Saint-Valery-sur-Somme was stolen during the night of June 8th by an unknown person. In addition to the robbery, the grid that protected the chapel was broken and various decorative objects and religious art were damaged.
"We believe that the chapel was visited on the night of Friday 8th to Saturday 9th," explained Patrick Cambray, administrator of the site and the Facebook page of the association.
During good weather, the door of the main wooden entrance protected with a grid, was left open. The grid was forced, and glass was broken in a frame holding the painting. Pieces of glass were found in the surroundings. The painting, which dates back to 1880, was made by a grandmother of a member of the association on the occasion of the inauguration of the reconstruction of the chapel. The painting did not have great market value, but was of great sentimental and patrimonial value.
In addition, the bronze Christ on the altar was twisted and the model of the chapel was set on fire with some candles.
The following morning, a passerby noticed the broken grid and alerted the association. Since then, the access door has been closed.
For its part, the Somme Gendarmerie launched a call for witnesses on social networks on Monday, June 11th. It can be contacted at 03 22 60 12 17.
Source: Courrier-Picard