Police say someone broke into the altar at a New York City church, stole a $2 million gold relic, and took the head from a statue of an angel at some point late last week.<\/p>\n
The incident happened between 6:30 p.m. on May 26th<\/sup> and 4 p.m. on May 28th<\/sup> at St. Augustine\u2019s Roman Catholic Church, known as the \u201cNotre Dame\u201d of Brooklyn\u2019s Park Slope neighborhood. The church was closed for construction at the time. The church\u2019s pastor said that camera recordings from the church\u2019s security system were also stolen.<\/p>\n The Diocese of Brooklyn called it \u201ca brazen crime of disrespect and hate.\u201d The diocese said the thief or thieves cut through a metal protective casing and made off with a tabernacle dating to the church\u2019s opening in the 1890s. The tabernacle, a box containing Holy Communion items, was made of 18-carat gold and decorated with jewels, police and the diocese said. It\u2019s valued at $2 million.<\/p>\n The diocese said it is irreplaceable because of its historical and artistic value.<\/p>\n According to a guidebook posted on the church\u2019s website, the tabernacle was built in 1895 and restored in 1952 and 2000. It\u2019s described as a \u201cmasterpiece and one of the most expensive tabernacles in the country, guarded by its own security system,\u201d which involves an \u201celectronically operated burglar-proof safe\u201d and one-inch thick steel plates that \u201ccompletely enclose the tabernacle.<\/p>\n Angel statues flanking the tabernacle were decapitated and destroyed, the diocese said. A safe in the sacristy, where priests prepare for Mass, was also cut open, but nothing was inside. Holy Eucharist, bread consecrated as the body of Christ, was taken from the tabernacle and thrown on the altar.<\/p>\n