PHILADELPHIA — A man was arrested for allegedly breaking into a church in Philadelphia and stealing a historic bejeweled crown that had sat atop a marble statue of the Virgin Mary for 125 years, city police reported on Monday.
The incident took place at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church early Saturday morning around 1:10 a.m. The suspect gained entry by smashing a stained-glass window, a break-in that was captured on the church’s surveillance cameras which authorities released on Monday.
According to Anne Kirkwood, the church’s archivist, the individual made his way to the upper nave of the church and directly targeted the statue and its crown. The staff discovered the crime while preparing for a baptism service the following Sunday, when they encountered broken glass and soon realized that the ornate crown had been taken. A historical account from the 1950s reveals that the crown was crafted by James E. Caldwell & Co. circa 1900, composed of jewelry and gems generously donated by church members to commemorate the church’s reopening after a devastating fire in 1899.
Kirkwood noted that during a 2015 examination of the crown—when it was briefly removed from the statue—the maker’s mark was identified as “J.E. Caldwell & Co.” In addition, the stained-glass window that was damaged also dates back to the church’s reopening in 1902 and was crafted in Munich, Germany.
This incident highlights the ongoing concerns regarding the preservation of historic artifacts, as well as the impact of vandalism in places of worship. Authorities continue to seek more information and are urging anyone with knowledge about the theft to come forward.
