Previous Message

On the morning of Wednesday, January 5, a man in his early thirties entered the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Denis, north of Paris. He tried unsuccessfully to enter a non-public area. A little while later he returned with an iron bar. He knocked down three modern statues and smashed up several glass cabinets.

Two other Catholic churches in the Diocese of Saint Denis have been vandalized since January 1, 2022.

Louis, duc d'Anjou, has issued the following statement:

I have learned with sadness and dismay of the vandalism of the Basilica of Saint Denis, in which my ancestors rest.

The statues of Saint Denis, Saint Geneviève and Saint Antonye were smashed with an iron bar as well as numerous glass cases containing sacred objects.

The statues which were profaned are of the patron saint of the Kingdom of France, the patron saint of the city of Paris, and the patron saint of lost causes. It is thus France as the eldest daughter of the Church and all of its history that are damaged and wounded. It is tragic that such looting destroys our heritage, sometimes irreparably.

What is happening in Saint-Denis today is happening almost every week in churches in France. This is unacceptable and these places of faith must be better protected.

Louis, duc d'Anjou