An almost 800-year-old relic has been stolen from a Catholic church in the Czech Republic, police said on Wednesday.
The relic is believed to be the skull of Saint Zdislava of Lemberk. A police spokeswoman said the theft took place at the Church of St Lawrence in Jablonné v Podještědí, a town roughly 15 kilometres south of the German border city of Zittau.
The historical value of the skull could not be quantified, investigators said. Experts were puzzled by the motive, as relics are believed to be almost impossible to sell today.
Adding to the bewilderment was the fact that the thief left behind a golden crown of considerable material value in the basilica.
Prague Archbishop Stanislav Pribyl described the incident as a "great mystery" in an interview, warning that the perpetrator could face a curse or misfortune as a result of the sacrilege.
The suspected perpetrator smashed the glass of the reliquary shrine and immediately fled with the skull, investigators said. The incident was captured on a security camera, but the video is of poor quality.
According to media reports, the alarm had been switched off during an ongoing church service, apparently to avoid false alarms.
Saint Zdislava of Lemberk, named after a castle by the same name, was a Bohemian noblewoman and founder of monasteries and hospitals. She lived in the 13th century and was canonized in 1995 by the late pope John Paul II.
Zdislava of Lemberk is venerated in the Czech Republic as the patron saint of the poor and the suffering. In 2002, the administrative region based in Liberec chose her as its patron saint.