Czech police recovered the stolen skull of Saint Zdislava of Lemberk and arrested a suspect on Friday [1, 2].
The recovery of the 13th-century relic prevents the permanent loss of a significant piece of Czech religious history. The artifact is approximately 800 years old [1].
The theft occurred on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 [2]. The skull was taken from a glass shrine located in the basilica of St. Lawrence and St. Zdislava in the town of Jablonné v Podještědí, situated in the northern region of the Czech Republic [1, 3].
Police located the relic three days after it disappeared [4]. Investigators found the skull encased in concrete, a method used by the suspect to hide the artifact [3, 4].
"We have recovered the skull and arrested the suspect," a police spokesperson said [1].
According to investigators, the suspect acted out of opposition to the public display of the relic. The unnamed suspect said, "I didn’t want the relic displayed in the church; I was going to throw it into the river" [2].
Despite the recovery, officials noted the severity of the incident. The chief of the Czech Police said, "The theft caused incalculable historic damage" [4].
Saint Zdislava of Lemberk lived from approximately 1220 to 1252 [3]. The basilica where the skull was kept serves as a primary site of veneration for the saint in the region.
“"The theft caused incalculable historic damage."”
This incident highlights the vulnerability of religious relics in public shrines and the tension between institutional curation and individual ideological opposition. The use of concrete to hide the skull suggests a deliberate attempt to permanently remove the object from the public sphere rather than a theft for financial gain.
