A tourist from America threw two Roman antiquities in the Vatican Museums, and caused minor damage. Then, Pope Francis told him that he would not be able to meet with him.
The museum source spoke only on condition that he not be identified because the ongoing investigation was confidential. He said the man had behaved strangely and had been turned over to Italian authorities to face charges.
According to local media sources, this 65-year-old American man was originally from the USA and had been born in Egypt.
He took the busts from their pedestals at the Chiaramonti museum hall. This is home to more than 1,000 items and one of Rome’s most valuable collections of portrait busts.
A tourist from America threw two pieces of ancient art over 2,000 years ago when he refused to meet Pope Francis. One witness said he was acting strangely.
The incident reportedly occurred in the museums’ Chiaramonti hall, which houses more than 1,000 pieces
The man in his fifties tried to flee from security guards after he was turned down for a meeting at the Vatican.
According to Matteo Alessandrini (a spokesperson for Vatican Museums), ‘The busts were attached to the shelves by a nail, but you can pull them down forcefully and they’ll come off.
The 2 busts suffered minor damage but were not badly damaged. Alessandrini said that one bust lost a part of its nose, and the other an ear. The pedestal fell off the head of the second.
The man was restrained by museum staff, and the Vatican Police arrived to arrest him a few moments later.
Alessandrini stated that the two busts had been damaged, but not too severely. He claimed they are repairable, but it may require 300 hours and an estimated $15,000.
He said that the scare caused more damage than it actually did.
Visitors posted photos on social media showing the broken busts on the marble flooring. The source claimed that the two broken pieces of art aren’t major masterpieces, but they are approximately 2,000 year old.
Museums are welcoming tourists back after having to reduce or close their doors for many years because of COVID restrictions. In the first year of the epidemic, six million tourists visited museums.
A Hungarian male jumped from St. Peter’s Basilica onto a side altar and used a sledgehammer to smash Michelangelo’s Pieta. It was 1972. The Madonna was thrown off her left arm by him, and he also smashed her veil and nose.
Bulletproof glass now protects this Renaissance treasure.