Surge in Thefts of Chapel Bells in the Var
Two bells classified as Historic Monuments were stolen in early August from chapels in Esparron-de-Pallières and Brue-Auriac, a month after bells stolen from Ginasservis.
The small town of Brue-Auriac realized at the beginning of August that at the top of its Romanesque chapel, the 85-kg bronze bell dating from 1847 had disappeared. "The Notre-Dame chapel is isolated from the center of the village, which no doubt explains why it was targeted," responded Mayor André Rousselet.
"There was no damage, the bell has probably already been melted," lamented the city councilor who, according to his calculations, estimates the sum drawn from the molten metal at around 500 euros. Engraved and wearing in particular the founder's medallion, Mr. Rousselet considers that it would be difficult for a collector to resell it.
About twenty kilometers away, the village of 345 inhabitants of Esparron-de-Pallières also discovered that the bell of its eccentric chapel in the center of the town had also been stolen. "Twenty years ago the two entrance doors and a statue of the virgin had already been stolen and we have never found them," deplored Thierry Basso, secretary of the town hall.
“We take this very seriously. Either these bells are intended for resale or they are melted to recover the bronze ”, indicated the deputy prosecutor of Draguignan Pierre Arpaia. "We have brought the cases together to find out whether they are isolated acts or by the same perpetrators. For the moment there is no priority hypothesis ”, continued the magistrate.
In mid-July in the same department, in Ginasservis, bells of 80 and 53 kilos had been stolen from two chapels. The second bell dating from 1737 was also classified as a Historic Monument.
Source: France 3