Robbery Reported at Paris’ Louvre Museum, Priceless Napoleonic Jewels Stolen

Paris: France’s Culture Minister Rachida Dati announced that a robbery took place at the world-famous Louvre Museum on Sunday morning, prompting the museum to close for the day.
“A robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum,” Dati wrote on X (formerly Twitter). She said she was at the site and that an investigation was underway. The Louvre confirmed its closure citing “exceptional reasons” but did not release further details about the theft. No injuries were reported.
According to French daily Le Parisien, the thieves entered the museum through its Seine-facing facade, where construction work is currently in progress. They allegedly used a freight elevator to directly access a room inside the Apollo Gallery, where the French Crown Jewels are displayed. The report said the robbers broke windows and escaped with “nine pieces from the jewellery collection of Napoleon and the Empress.”
The Louvre, one of the world’s most visited museums, has witnessed several thefts and attempted robberies in its history. The most infamous case occurred in 1911 when the Mona Lisa was stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, a former employee who hid inside the museum and walked out with the painting under his coat. The artwork was recovered two years later in Florence, an incident that made Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait world-famous.
In 1983, two Renaissance-era pieces of armour were stolen from the museum and were only recovered nearly four decades later. The Louvre’s collection itself has long been at the centre of restitution debates, as several of its artworks trace back to Napoleonic-era looting.
Home to over 33,000 artefacts from ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Europe, the Louvre remains a global symbol of art and history. Among its iconic exhibits are the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory of Samothrace. The Apollo Gallery, where Sunday’s theft reportedly occurred, houses the French Crown Jewels, a highlight for the museum’s thousands of daily visitors.