'Michelangelo' painting stolen from Belgium church days before experts were to authenticate after being left in room without cameras or alarms
The £9,000 painting, which could be worth millions, was taken from St Ludgerus church in the small of Zele, Belgium, after being left in a room without any alarms.
It was donated by a parishioner 16 years – but only recently did the church’s pastor realise that the work, depicting the Holy Family, could actually belong to the famous painter, reports Het Nieuwsblad.
Michelangelo is one of the most revered artists of all time, known for creating the Sistine Chapel frescoes and his iconic sculpture of Biblical figure David.
Pastor Jan Van Raemdonck had recently given the painting a more prominent position in the church while waiting for an Italian art expert to authenticate the piece.
The priest, who is also a passionate historian, recently noticed that the painting resembled a sketch by the Renaissance master – depicting Mary, Joseph, John the Baptist and Jesus as a small infant.
He said: “The drawing, which is 100 percent sure of Michelangelo, shows just the same scene.
“That is why I thought that this too could be the work of Michelangelo, or one of his pupils.”
But there are now suspicions that the robbery could be no coincidence, according to reports.
The fact that there is a parallel between the theft and the recent research of the pastor is plausible
After keeping his discovery a secret, Pastor Van Raemdonck told the church council about the painting’s potential true value.
He requested extra funding for security measures such as burglar alarms – a request which was denied.
The council has now claimed that no such conversation ever took place, reports say.
Speaking about the robbery, church chairman Johan Anthuenis told Het Nieuwsblad: “They were only interested in that one painting. They have not even looked at all other valuable items."
The town’s mayor, Hans Knop, said there could be a link between the theft and the pastor’s bid to have it authenticated.
He said: “The fact that there is a parallel between the theft and the recent research of the pastor is plausible.”
The local public prosecutor’s office said St Ludgerus church was broken into on Friday between 5am and 6am.
A witness has described seeing a young man – aged between 17 and 20-years-old – wearing a hood, dark clothing and a backpack.
Pastor Van Raemdonck also writes novels in his spare time and once penned a book about the Just Judges – a famous 1934 art theft in Belgium.
He was currently writing a novel about t6he Holy Family painting – which could have been set in Zele at the time of the Renaissance.
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