Czech police have arrested a man suspected of stealing an almost 800-year-old religious relic from a Catholic church and encasing it in concrete, authorities said on Friday.
According to a police spokeswoman, the suspect admitted taking the skull, which is revered by believers as a relic of Saint Zdislava of Lemberk, from the Church of St Lawrence in the northern Czech town of Jablonne v Podjestedi.
Investigators used special equipment to confirm the skull was hidden inside a solid concrete block without damaging it. Art restorers are now working to remove the relic safely, police added.
The 35-year-old suspect told investigators he objected to the public display of human remains and had planned to throw the skull into a river and give it a private burial ceremony. The theft took place at the start of a church service.
He is being investigated on suspicion of theft, property damage and disturbing public order, offences that can carry prison sentences of between two and eight years.
Prague Archbishop Stanislav Pribyl said the relic would return to the basilica, according to Czech news agency CTK. He added that it would in future be protected by bulletproof glass and an alarm system connected directly to police.
Saint Zdislava of Lemberk was a 13th-century Bohemian noblewoman known for founding monasteries and hospitals. She was canonized in 1995 by Pope John Paul II and is revered in the Czech Republic as the patron saint of the poor and suffering.
