Four priceless Renaissance paintings stolen from Sicily museum

Four Renaissance paintings described as being of "extraordinary value" have been stolen from the Regional Interdisciplinary Museum of Messina in Sicily, Italy's culture minister confirmed on Sunday. The missing works include three panels from the Polyptych of San Gregorio and a double-sided panel depicting the Madonna with Child and Christ in Pietà — all attributed to the 15th-century Sicilian master Antonello da Messina.

A Professional Heist

The theft occurred at around 21:50 local time (19:50 GMT) on Saturday. Police are investigating how the thieves entered without triggering any of the museum's alarm systems, and the early working theory is that the paintings were stolen to order by black market art traffickers. According to Italian news agency Ansa, the Madonna and Christ panel was removed directly from inside a secure display case, while all stolen works are mounted on wooden panels — making them harder to roll up for transport.

Museum director Marisa Mercurio described the loss as devastating: "This is a great loss for the museum, for the city, the community and the art world." Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli confirmed the thefts and initiated an investigation.

About the Stolen Works

Antonello da Messina was born in Sicily in the early 15th century and became one of the most celebrated painters of the early Italian Renaissance, pioneering the use of oil paint in Italian art. His San Gregorio Polyptych, painted in 1473, depicts the Virgin Mary flanked by St Gregory, St Benedict and several angels. Of the original composition, only five panels survive — three of which are now missing. The double-sided devotional panel is believed to have been created for private worship around the same period.

The theft is the latest in a series of audacious European museum heists that have seen priceless works disappear from public collections in recent years.