The jewels stolen from the cathedral of Plasencia (Cáceres) are valued at more than one million euros, according to the city’s mayor, Fernando Pizarro. Among them, the crown of its patron saint, the Virgin of the Port, was stolen.
The theft of this crown, as well as another corresponding to the Child Jesus, two pectoral crosses and episcopal rings, occurred in the early hours of Saturday to Sunday.
Although the image of the virgin is located in the sanctuary of the Virgen del Puerto, located four kilometers from the urban center, the crown, which dates back to 1952, is kept in the museum of the city’s cathedral.
In statements to EFE, the rector of the sanctuary, Brother José María Correcher, explained that the crown was kept in the cathedral museum. In fact, only once a year, coinciding with the beginning of the novena of the Virgin, does it leave this place to be transferred, under the custody of the Civil Guard, to the sanctuary.
In the museum, as detailed, there are cameras, alarms, armored glass. “They managed to destroy all of that” to perpetrate the robbery, said the rector, who hopes that the police investigation will allow for the recovery of what was stolen.
The crown was made on the occasion of the coronation of the Virgen del Puerto and thanks to the private contributions of many people and many devotees. “In that crown are the wedding rings and diamond jewelry donated by families… with how beautiful all that contribution had been and how sad it has now been with this theft,” Correcher lamented.
The theft occurred two weeks before the celebration of the novena, since on April 6 the transfer of the crown to the sanctuary was scheduled since, a day later, the traditional pilgrimage of the Virgen del Puerto takes place. “The thieves may take advantage of the material value, but that feeling of the people of Placenta, who is going to recover it, who is going to repair it,” Correcher asked himself.