On Sunday, October 19, 2025, four thieves stole eight priceless jewels from the Louvre's Galerie d'Apollon in just eight minutes, using a cherry picker to break a window. The museum closed its doors the next day, reigniting debates on the security of French cultural institutions. Authorities are launching an administrative inquiry and strengthening heritage protection measures.
The theft occurred at 9:30 AM, with the museum open for only half an hour. Four masked men in safety vests arrived via Quai François-Mitterrand along the Seine. Two were in a cherry picker truck, the others on T-Max scooters. They deployed the basket, cut a first-floor window with a grinder, and entered the Galerie d'Apollon. In about three and a half minutes, they smashed two display cases containing 19th-century jewels, including Empress Eugénie's diadem with 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, acquired by the state in 1988, and two necklaces. An alarm sounded at 9:37 AM, and the thieves fled at 9:38 AM on their two-wheelers, leaving gloves, a walkie-talkie, and the damaged crown behind.
The Culture Ministry described the eight pieces as having 'incalculable patrimonial value.' They were not insured against theft, with the state acting as its own insurer for national collections in their usual location. Experts believe the loot will likely be dismantled: stones recut abroad for anonymity, settings melted, and sold on the black market, making traceability nearly impossible.
Laurence Des Cars, Louvre president since 2021, will be auditioned on Wednesday, October 22, by the Senate's Culture Committee. Rachida Dati, Culture Minister, announced an administrative inquiry to reconstruct events minute by minute and criticized 'forty years of neglect' in security. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez requested prefects conduct an exhaustive inventory of vulnerable cultural assets and strengthen museum protections. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin admitted: 'We have failed,' highlighting the negative image for France. The Cour des Comptes warns of 'considerable delay' in upgrades, with a third of rooms lacking surveillance.
The museum remained closed on Monday, October 20, disappointing tourists like Sandy and Alícia from Mexico, who had booked tickets. Alexandre Portier proposes a parliamentary inquiry commission on heritage protection, citing the Notre-Dame fire as well. Louis de Bourbon, descendant of Louis XIV, calls the event a 'moral crisis' and 'ominous sign' for French memory.