Italian authorities are investigating the theft of a 17th-century painting from an earthquake-damaged church, one of the first suspected victims of looting from last month's quakes, ABC news reports.
Italy earthquake: Officials investigate 17th century artwork stolen from quake-damaged church
STEPANAKERT, NOVEMBER 8, ARTSAKHPRESS: Officials have rushed to recover works of art from collapsed buildings, amid concerns important paintings, frescoes and sculptures could be stolen by looters or damaged by bad weather.
The national police unit charged with protecting cultural treasures said on Monday the 1631 painting Pardon of Assisi by French painter Jean L'homme was stolen from a village church in Nottoria.
The parish priest, the Reverend Marco Rufini, told news agency ANSA the thieves apparently ignored the risk of the church collapsing on them when they cut the painting from its frame, "adding injury to injury".
The earthquakes on October 26 and October 30 collapsed buildings across a broad swath of a region already reeling from a deadly August quake.
