France: a relic of St Nicholas destroyed at Saint-Nicolas-de-Port

In the basilica of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port, in Lorraine (Meurthe-et-Moselle), a relic of St Nicholas has been vandalised and destroyed. According to France 3 Grand Est, the act took place on Saturday 31 October. The parish priest filed a complaint on Monday 2 November: a man, identified on CCTV and arrested, burned and crushed a small bone fragment, 1-2 centimetres long, kept in a glass case.

It was not the saint’s principal relics, which remain intact in the basilica treasury. Denis Bourquin, president of the association Connaissance et Renaissance de la Basilique, said they will still be presented on 6 December for the annual procession. The destroyed relic was one of six kept in the shrine.

In a 6 November statement, the parish of Saint-Nicolas-en-Lorraine said the perpetrator admitted “having broken the display case, then burned and crushed the relic,” and spoke of “a profound attack on our history, our faith and the devotion of generations of pilgrims” (our translation). Bourquin called the episode a profanation and said: “We feel a new powerlessness in the face of this.”

Mayor Luc Binsinger recalled that St Nicholas is the patron of the people of Lorraine and that the man “should be tried within a few days.” France 3 reports this is the third act of vandalism or theft at the basilica in 2026.

Source: France 3 Grand Est (9 November 2026); parish of Saint-Nicolas-en-Lorraine (statement of 6 November)
Photo: Antoine Taveneaux / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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