In the heart of Paris, the Louvre Museum—home to some of the world’s greatest masterpieces—became the scene of an audacious heist early Sunday. French authorities confirmed that a team of professional thieves stole irreplaceable jewels once owned by Napoleon and Empress Joséphine, forcing the museum to shut its doors for the rest of the day as investigators swarmed the site.
A seven-minute, precision strike
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the thieves acted with “military precision,” using construction ladders and disc cutters to access the building.
“The operation lasted only seven minutes. The panes were cut cleanly—it’s clear the team had scouted the location beforehand” Nunez stated.
The robbery took place inside the Galerie d’Apollon, the hall where France’s Crown Jewels are displayed.
Napoleon’s treasures vanish
According to French daily Le Parisien, the thieves entered through the Seine-facing façade of the museum, where renovation work was underway. After breaking a window, they reportedly took nine pieces of jewellery linked to Napoleon and the Empress before escaping undetected.
Police sealed off the area, evacuated visitors, and closed nearby streets. No injuries were reported.
In Case You Missed It
The Louvre’s dark legacy of theft
This is not the first time the Louvre has faced a major robbery. The most infamous was in 1911, when Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was stolen by a former employee, Vincenzo Peruggia, who hid inside the museum overnight and smuggled the painting out under his coat. It was recovered two years later in Florence.
Today, the Louvre holds more than 33,000 works spanning ancient civilizations to European masterpieces, including the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory of Samothrace. Sunday’s theft is now being described as the museum’s most serious security breach in over a century.
subscribers.
