Man arrested after stealing, burning relic of St. Nicholas in France

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Man arrested after stealing, burning relic of St. Nicholas in France
The suspect, whose identity police have not yet revealed, said he was driven by a ‘desire to destroy’ the relic of the beloved 4th-century saint.

Nov 10, 2026
SAINT-NICOLAS-DE-PORT, France (LifeSiteNews) — An unidentified man was arrested and charged after allegedly stealing, burning, and crushing a relic of Saint Nicholas of Myra from the 15th-century Basilica of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port in late October.

On October 28, the man, who police have so far declined to identify but some on social media suspect is Muslim, allegedly broke the glass containing one of St. Nicholas’s bones beneath a statue of the saint, before burning the ancient relic, per French media. Following his arrest, the suspect said he acted on impulse, driven by a “desire to destroy” the relic.

The relic that the suspect destroyed was not the basilica’s famous reliquary arm but another bone belonging to the fourth-century saint that has been on display since the 2000s.

“Beyond the patrimonial value of this object, it is above all a deep blow to our history, our faith, and the devotion of generations of pilgrims who are affected today,” the basilica parish said in a statement. “The parish is deeply grieved by this act. The relic of Saint Nicholas represents a precious link with our patron saint, whose memory we celebrate every year, and whose spiritual radiance far exceeds the boundaries of our Lorraine.”

“In this trial, we wish to remain united in prayer and to entrust to Saint Nicholas all those affected by this event. May Saint Nicholas continue to watch over our parish, our basilica, and all those who come to seek comfort and hope,” they added.

France has seen a massive uptick in riots and anti-Catholic violence in recent years. Within the last month, an unidentified masked man, who appeared to be African, climbed onto a bronze statue of Saint Joan of Arc in Toulouse and placed a yellow vest on the saint’s head in the shape of a hijab and a Palestinian flag on the statue’s side.

Video from Paris shows another unidentified, reportedly foreign, rioter being cheered on by a mob after climbing on and placing political stickers on another statue of the country’s patron saint in the Place des Pyramides.

In another incident, a group of 10 young Catholic men in Rouen, France, were harassed, spat on, and beaten by a group of apparently Muslim men dressed in black after singing a hymn on the way to the annual Foire (Fair) Saint-Rouen at the end of October. The next day, four of the men, including two from the hospital, filed a formal complaint “for violence based on race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion.”