Antonello Theft in Messina Reopens Italy's Heritage Wound

Four of the most important works by the 15th-century Renaissance master Antonello da Messina were stolen during a national holiday from a museum in the Sicilian port city of Messina, the Guardian reported. The works were taken overnight without alarms being triggered, according to the BBC, raising suspicion of a professional operation.

The thieves took three panels from the Polittico di San Gregorio, depriving the city of part of the only surviving works by the painter still held in his hometown, France 24 reported. Local officials expressed dismay and sadness at the theft, which occurred during celebrations of the Virgin Mary, CBS News reported.