On Friday morning, Jan. 2, 2026, around 10 a.m., a man was detained in Paris following the theft of a sword from the equestrian statue of Joan of Arc, a work created by Paul Dubois in the late 19th century, located in the Place Saint-Augustin in the city’s 8th arrondissement (8th arrondissement). Sources close to the authorities, reported by Le Parisien newspaper and confirmed by AFP, indicate that the suspect was arrested as he walked away from the statue with sword in hand. The individual, whose age was not disclosed, was immediately placed in custody in the offices of the 8th arrondissement police station. Initial evidence gathered indicates that the man allegedly approached the Joan of Arc statue, grabbing the sword, and then headed toward an adjacent street. A police patrol, engaged in a round of checks, intercepted him a few minutes later. The sword, although damaged during the theft, was recovered. The arrested man will have to undergo a behavioral assessment to check for psychiatric disorders. As Le Parisien writes, the district municipality has announced its intention to file charges against the perpetrator. Karen Taïeb, Deputy Mayor of Paris for Heritage and History, also explained that an assessment of the damage done to the bronze sword will be carried out in the coming days. If restoration is not possible, the weapon will be replicated exactly according to the original model.
“Vandalism,” Taïeb wrote in his X profile. “After shaking the equestrian statue of Joan of Arc in the Place Saint-Augustin, a man climbed to the top and snatched the sword. Thank you to the Paris Police Prefecture for their intervention, to the City Hall of the 8th district for filing a complaint, and to the COARC Department of Conservation of Works of Art, which is responsible for the restoration.”
Currently, the statue remains without the sword, with only the handle of the weapon still visible above the horse. In any case, this is not the first time that a statue of Joan of Arc in Paris has attracted media attention: in 2019, the gilded statue at the Place des Pyramides (in the 1st arrondissement) had been at the center of a political debate after the removal of the drape that supported the figure, initially interpreted as an act of vandalism by some bangs of the far right, whereas it was a planned maintenance operation.
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| Paris, sword from equestrian statue of Joan of Arc stolen: man apprehended |
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