FBI Returns Stolen 17th Century Reliquary to Italian Church After Vanishing for a Decade

Carved and Gilded Reliquary Urn Recovered by FBI Boston Art Crime Team and Bound for Repatriation Ceremony in Rome

The FBI has returned a stolen 17th century gilded wood reliquary urn to the Church of San Michele Arcangelo di Cangiano in Italy, more than a decade after it vanished from the church between 2012 and 2022. The artifact was recovered on 11 February 2026 by the FBI Boston Division's Art Crime Team.

The urn was one of 17 ecclesiastical artifacts stolen from the Italian church and was traced to an antiques dealer in the northeastern United States who had bought it from another dealer in Italy. The dealer relinquished the piece voluntarily.

FBI Art Crime Team Recovers Christian Artifact for Italian Church

"It's incredibly exciting when the FBI can recover a piece of history that carries such deep emotional and cultural significance," said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division.

The investigation began in autumn 2025 as a joint operation between the FBI's Art Crime Team, the FBI's law enforcement attaché in Rome, and Italian Carabinieri. The reliquary will return to Italy in a formal repatriation ceremony in Rome. Since the FBI Art Crime Team was created, the unit has recovered 20,000 stolen art items with a combined value exceeding 1 billion dollars.

The Crusader's Opinion

Christian art is not loot. It is the sacred memory of the saints and the prayers of generations. Reliquaries hold the bones of believers who died for Christ. To traffic them is to traffic in the holy. The FBI Art Crime Team has done what every Western government should do, treat Christian heritage with the same reverence as any other endangered cultural treasure. The bones of saints, the icons of Mary, the chalices of forgotten chapels. They belong to the Church and to her people. Bring every stolen artifact home.

Take Action

• Support: FBI Art Crime Team tips line for stolen Christian artifacts
• Donate: Aid to the Church in Need, restoring damaged churches around the world
• Visit: Your local Catholic basilica or Orthodox cathedral and learn the stories behind their relics
• Pray: For the safe return of every stolen Christian artifact still missing
• Share: The story of the recovery and the 20,000 art items the FBI has saved