Less publicized than the robbery at the Museum and the Louvre, the theft which occurred on the night of Monday October 6 to Tuesday October 7, at the Desert Museum in Mialet is symptomatic of new forms of crime in museums. Around a hundred Huguenot crosses were stolen in less than five minutes, and the suspect had time to flee before the police arrived on the scene.
Around 3 a.m., a lone burglar broke into the building through a side door, after taking care to cut the telephone lines and public lighting, according to the museum curator, Denis Carbonnier. He then broke the display case where the medals were displayed, taking only the gold ones, before fleeing. The alarm sounded, but the museum is in an isolated area, which gave the thief time to escape.
The museum has filed a complaint and an investigation is underway. He entrusted the gendarmerie with the surveillance videos which filmed the thief. For Denis Carbonnier, it is quite clear that it is a calculated theft, the thief having left aside the silver crosses. The museum has, since the theft, reopened its doors and had the door and window repaired. The gendarmerie visited the museum several times to better understand what happened, but did not communicate anything.
The items, although made of gold, do not have much monetary value. Their value is much more heritage and symbolic. This type of medal created around 1688 is specific to Protestantism. They take the shape of a Maltese cross accompanied by fleur-de-lis and doves. It has been a marker of Protestant identity in the south of France since the 17th century.
The Musée du Désert, located in Mialet in the Cévennes, is dedicated to the history of Protestantism in France. Opened in 1911, it exhibits 3,000 objects over 800 m² divided into twenty rooms. It takes its name from the so-called “Desert” period, a time during which Protestants had to hide their faith; between the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV and the Revolution. From this period were born the clandestine assemblies which were organized in the south of France. Even today, the museum pays tribute to this practice by organizing the Desert Assembly each year, bringing together hundreds of people around the museum. This year, it took place a month before the flight, on September 7. The museum is also labeled House of the Illustrious, because it is installed in the birthplace of the Camisard leader Pierre Laporte, known as Roland, emblematic figure of the Camisard revolts (Huguenot Protestants) after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes.
