Ten years after its theft, the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel returned to Italy

A Catholic statue stolen from southwest Italy almost a decade ago has been found after a priest recognized its photos when it was put up for sale on social media, Eurojust announced on Tuesday.

“Our Lady of Mount Carmel,” a roughly 700-year-old piece of “great religious significance,” was stolen from the church of Pastena in August 2014 on the Amalfi Coast, the judicial agency said European in a press release.

It was put up for sale through an Italian antiques dealer and purchased “in good faith” by a Dutch collector who intended to resell it, and posted photos on social media, she continued.

But the photos were spotted by the priest of Pastena, who contacted the Italian authorities, who in turn opened an investigation. They then contacted Eurojust to begin the recovery process and the return of the object to the Amalfi Coast.

The historic Italian statue was returned to Italy from the Netherlands “in recent days,” Eurojust said. The recovery of stolen religious objects often makes headlines. The relic of the “Precious Blood” of Christ, stolen in June 2022 and found a few weeks later in the Netherlands in incredible conditions, was returned in September 2023 to the abbey church of Fécamp.