Sicily’s Regional Interdisciplinary Museum of Messina was raided overnight as four extraordinary Renaissance paintings were stolen in a meticulously timed assault. Police confirmed that three panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych and a double‑sided piece of the Madonna with Child and Christ in Pietà – all attributed to 15th‑century master Antonello da Messina – were removed from secure displays without triggering alarms.
The theft occurred at approximately 21:50 local time (19:50 GMT) on Saturday night, according to museum director Marisa Mercurio. Investigators now probe how the thieves breached the museum’s perimeter, and whether the crime was undertaken on behalf of the high‑profit art black market.
The paintings are priceless. The San Gregorio Polyptych, painted in 1473, shows the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus flanked by St Gregory, St Benedict and angels. The original commission was for Santa Maria monastery; five panels survive, with three removed during the crime. The double‑sided Madonna panel, which once appeared in Britain’s British Museum in 2016, depicts an infant Christ blessing a follower on one side, and a dying adult Christ on the other.
Mayor Federico Basile condemned the act as “heinous” and vowed that Messina would not let its heritage be stolen. The robbery comes just days after Italy’s specialist art‑crime unit recovered €9 million worth of Cézanne, Renoir and Matisse works stolen from a Parma museum earlier this year.
The incident underscores the fragility of European cultural heritage amid growing concerns over museum security. In October last year, a gang stole €88 million of historic jewellery from the Louvre in broad daylight – a stark reminder that even world‑class institutions remain vulnerable.
