FBI Recovers 400-Year-Old Stolen Christian Artifact
FBI agents in Boston, Massachusetts, recovered a stolen reliquary urn dating from the 17th century.
The wooden urn is believed to be one of 17 artifacts taken from the Church of San Michele Arcangelo di Cangiano between Aug. 1, 2012, and Aug. 31, 2022, according to an April 30 news release from the FBI.
The item was recovered from an antiques dealer in the northeastern United States who had bought the object from another antiques dealer in Italy.
He has relinquished ownership of the artifact.
The FBI recovered the urn after a request from the Italian Ministry of Culture.
“It’s incredibly exciting when the FBI can recover a piece of history that carries such deep emotional and cultural significance,” Ted Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, said in a statement.
📣#BREAKING: #FBI Boston has recovered a 17th century reliquary urn, carved and gilded in wood, believed to be one of 17 ecclesiastical artifacts stolen from the Church of San Michele Arcangelo di Cangiano sometime between 2012 and 2022.
The FBI’s Art Crime Team orchestrated its… pic.twitter.com/79iNOUsrFY
— FBI Boston (@FBIBoston) April 30, 2026
“After all, this reliquary urn is a tangible link to intense religious devotion and a connection to the generations who lived and prayed with it. It represents the intersection of faith, history, and art—elements that are invaluable to the people of Italy and to humanity as a whole,” he continued.
“This case highlights the power of international cooperation and our collective commitment to safeguard the world’s cultural treasures, no matter where they may be.”
The FBI said the urn “represents a significant piece of Italian history” and has been registered in the Historical Artistic Heritage Items inventory maintained by the Italian Episcopal Conference, the conference of Roman Catholic bishops in Italy.
The item is therefore protected by the Italian government because of an accords with the Vatican.
An investigation into the stolen urn started in the fall of last year.
The FBI’s Art Crime Team was part of the recovery of the urn.
The FBI unit is “composed of special agents and personnel uniquely trained in art and cultural property investigations,” according to the release.
They will take part in repatriating the urn to Italy at a ceremony in Rome “in the near future.”
More than 20,000 items worth over $1 billion have been recovered by the Art Crime Team.
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