St. John’s Cathedral Theft: Burglars Steal Sealed Box Containing Personal Messages for 2122

St. John’s CathedralThe sealed box was stolen from the dome of St. John’s Cathedral

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Broadcasting Brabant

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 13:11

Burglars have caused havoc in the St. John’s Cathedral in Den Bosch. Burglars managed to reach the dome of the basilica via scaffolding along the cathedral due to renovation. There they smashed stained glass windows, emptied a fire extinguisher and took a sealed box containing hundreds of personal messages for the year 2122.

“Maybe the thieves thought that St. John’s money was kept there, but that is not the case,” says deputy Vincent Blom resignedly. “It would be very tragic if the contents of that box were lost, which is intended for the residents of Den Bosch in a hundred years. The box has no monetary value, but it does have historical and emotional value.”

The box was hidden above the ‘All-Seeing Eye’, a painting in the ridge of the roof, right above the altar. On Thursday, Blom saw a suspicious amount of dust on and around the altar, but it was only on Friday that the fire brigade accidentally discovered the burglary during an inspection, writes Broadcasting Brabant.

Chest mag pass in 2122 open

A blue coffin has been kept in the dome of St. John’s since 2022, the 800th anniversary of the cathedral. Hundreds of people wrote a letter at the time about the special role of the basilica in their lives.

The bishop, pleban, king’s commissioner and the mayor also wrote a letter for the coffin. It was then sealed and screwed shut by a notary. The intention is that these messages will be read a hundred years later, in 2122.

St. John’s CathedralThe coffin was hoisted up in December 2022 to be kept for a hundred years

The police have conducted an investigation, but according to Omroep Brabant, not much has been achieved yet. There is no camera footage of the theft. “There are fences around the church, but they easily climb over them,” says Blom.

The plebaan remains hopeful that the coffin will be returned in one piece by the perpetrators. Recently he was visited by a guilty man. “Forty years ago, St. John’s Cathedral was covered in scaffolding, just like now. In a crazy mood, he climbed up with friends, where he stole two pieces of natural stone. He kept the stones at home for forty years, but he eventually brought them back. Repentance comes after sin. There is always hope,” Blom concludes.

2024-04-07 11:11:35


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