On Saturday night, a team of thieves entered the Regional Interdisciplinary Museum of Messina in Sicily and removed four extraordinary Renaissance paintings. They took three panels from the San Gregorio Polyptych, a masterwork painted by Antonello da Messina in 1473, and a double‑sided panel of the Madonna with Child and Christ in Pietà, also attributed to the same artist.
Police are probing how the thieves bypassed the museum’s alarm system. Early reports suggest the art was targeted on a collectors’ order, possibly by black‑market groups who can afford to pay high prices for missing masterpieces.
The theft has sparked renewed concern over the security of priceless works across Europe. In recent months, a gang broke into the Louvre to steal €88 million worth of historic jewellery, and a specialist Italian art‑crime unit recovered three earlier‑stolen pieces from a museum near Parma.
“We are shocked by what happened,” museum director Marisa Mercurio said, calling the incident a great loss for the city and art community. Mayor Federico Basile condemned the theft as a “heinous criminal act” that violates the heritage of Messina’s citizens.
Antonello da Messina, a 15th‑century Sicilian painter, is celebrated for introducing the Northern European oil‑painting technique to Italy. The San Gregorio Polyptych, which depicted the Virgin Mary, infant Jesus, St. Gregory, St. Benedict, and several angels, remains one of his most significant works.
Art historians say the double‑sided Madonna & Child could have originally served private devotional use, given its small size. The panel’s quick removal from a secure display case points to a highly organized burglary operation.
