Major Antonello da Messina Works Stolen from Messina Museum
On the evening of August 15, 2026, amid the Vara procession celebrating the Assumption of the Virgin, two thieves infiltrated the Regional Museum of Messina (MuMe) and executed a heist in less than three minutes, around 9 PM. They made off with three out of five panels from the Polyptych of Saint Gregory, as well as a small artwork depicting a Madonna with a Franciscan monk. The total worth of the stolen pieces is estimated to be between 70 and 80 million euros. The Messina prosecutor's office is probing into potential mafia connections, with support from the Comando Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale. While two panels were left behind, three remain missing. This incident follows a robbery in March at the Magnani Rocca Foundation, where three paintings valued at 9 million euros were taken.
Key facts
- Theft occurred on August 15, 2026, during the Vara procession in Messina.
- Two individuals broke into the Regional Museum of Messina (MuMe) at around 9 PM.
- The burglary lasted less than three minutes.
- Stolen works: three panels of the Polyptych of Saint Gregory and a small Madonna with Franciscan monk painting.
- Estimated value of stolen works: between 70 and 80 million euros.
- The Comando Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale (TPC) is assisting the investigation.
- Four guards on duty were questioned; internal complicity is suspected.
- Two panels from the upper register of the altarpiece were abandoned and recovered.
- The missing panels depict Gregory I, Virgin and Child, and Benedict of Nursia.
- The altarpiece is the only major Antonello work in Messina.
- Museum director Marisa Mercurio commented on the works' importance.
- A previous theft at Fondazione Magnani Rocca in March involved works by Matisse, Cézanne, and Renoir.
- Italian police had recovered those works the day before this theft.
Entities
Artists
- Antonello da Messina
- Matisse
- Cézanne
- Renoir
Institutions
- Regional Museum of Messina (MuMe)
- Comando Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale (TPC)
- Fondazione Magnani Rocca
Locations
- Messina
- Italy
- L'Aquila
- Sicily