the statue of the Child Jesus was stolen
They didn’t even spare the crib. The statue of the Child Jesus from the crib in the churchyard of the Florence Cathedral has been stolen. The theft took place during the night, around 4.45 am. The Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, the centuries-old institution that guards the monuments of Piazza Duomo, has reported it to the carabinieri.
Surveillance cameras have filmed three young men committing the theft: their identity is unknown, but their faces are visible. One of them passed the guards and took the terracotta statue of the Child Jesus.
The nativity scene in the churchyard of the Florence Cathedral, visible until Epiphany, is made up of life-size terracotta statues, unique pieces handmade by a craftsman from a historic Impruneta furnace and donated to the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore .
In addition to the surveillance cameras, the Opera for greater protection of the crib, which is located outside the Cathedral, has also set up a surveillance service with an external company. The nativity scene in the churchyard of the Florence Cathedral has been subject to other acts of vandalism in recent years. The latest in chronological order, in January of this year when four young people had entered the crib damaging the statue of the Child Jesus, putting themselves in his place and taking selfies with their mobile phones. The Opera of Santa Maria del Fiore also in that case had filed a complaint and thanks to the cameras the young people were identified.