The Great Vienna Cathedral Robbery

kreuz.net – War die Restauratorin eine Diebin?

The scandal is not that treasures disappeared, but that nobody noticed it in the bulldozer Counciliar church.

The very elderly Helga C who died three years ago, worked for St. Stephen's Cathedral as a restorer for decades. Staff of the cathedral are now convinced that she was a thief. This has been reported by the online edition of the Vienna tabloid 'Krone'.

Discovered by chance

Mrs. C. had unhindered access to all areas. The heir to the restorer was Andreas Schekulin (30). He has worked as a sales manager of a large furniture chain. He offered to the Vienna auction house Dorotheum and an interior design business as well as on the Internet, the apparently stolen items for sale. An employee of the cathedral discovered this by chance and raised the alarm. The police scoured Schekulins house and took to safety the art treasures.

A court will decide

Among the items is a shining chalice from the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, a ring set with precious stones, a bishop's mitre from the year 1643, a gold clasp, and a baroque stole. Schekulin told the police that Mrs. C received damaged pieces from the cathedral in return for some of her work. The cathedral's lawyer denied this: "Not true. Such things, no one would give away. "Mrs. C. was always paid. In the autumn, a court will decide the case.

Cathcon- I came across one case of a monk in Belgium who received church treasures in return for his work as a liturgical adviser, which consisted in any case of saying that such ancient art should be stripped from the church and be replaced by the modern. He sold them to antique dealers and built up a private fund.